


heartworm

by xoxkimmiexox



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Drug Use, Kinda, M/M, Mike is emo, No Smut, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will is 18, at all, byler, jonathan and nancy are in love, mike is 17, more like three years, nothing heavy will be written, the party is mentioned here and there, there is drug mention, there will be making out, will and mike are the main focus though, will is more out there, will visiting hawkins after forever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-07-31 13:47:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 30,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20116069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxkimmiexox/pseuds/xoxkimmiexox
Summary: “Heartwormn. a relationship or friendship that you can’t get out of your head, which you thought had faded long ago but is still somehow alive and unfinished, like an abandoned campsite whose smoldering embers still have the power to start a forest fire.”Will visits Hawkins after three years since he left the sorry town. He finds himself longing some sort of reminder of his childhood before heading off to college.It's safe to say he receives more than what he bargained for.





	1. the prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ahh!! i'm so excited to be publishing the prologue to this story and getting to work on the next chapters!!
> 
> also i have no idea how to format anything so bear with me, please.
> 
> i know this is absolutely huge and i tried to split it into two chapters, but that just didn't feel right. hope you enjoy!!

Prologue

“Heartworm  
n. a relationship or friendship that you can’t get out of your head, which you thought had faded long ago but is still somehow alive and unfinished, like an abandoned campsite whose smoldering embers still have the power to start a forest fire.”

The Present, 1989.  


He told himself it was only for two months, two months and then he would carry on with his life, a life far away from this place. Maybe not even two months, if he passed the ‘Welcome’ sign and decided to turn back, he would. His venture backwards into his hometown was only out of curiosity. To take a peek at how different things had become over the years. Will didn’t tell his mother that he wanted to see where he grew up because a part of him missed it. That would have sprung her into a lecture about how Will should always keep moving forward, how he should always keep growing. 

Will glanced at himself in the car rear mirror, his hair unkempt and his yellow t-shirt radiating light. He didn’t think about it too much, but he was glad the years had done him well. At some point, he ditched the bowl cut, and oddly fitting clothes. He opened up a bit more with others and learnt to laugh more, and smile more. He also pursued his love for drawing to a much higher level. Taking art in school and submitting his work to contests. There was no reason for Will to be doing anything but climbing up in life, so what was he doing driving back to Hawkins? Was it so bad that he had daydreams about how different things would have been? His social life, education, environment. Maybe things would have worked out between him and his childhood friends. Even though the last time they were all closest was years ago, each of their names and characters seemed to have been stamped into his memory, never to be forgotten. Some imprinted deeper than others. One specifically, more than everyone else. 

Maybe Will’s biggest curiosity was Mike Wheeler, and how he was doing. In all honesty, Will wasn’t even sure if the guy was even still in town. If The Wheelers had moved away, no one would have told Will. So the possibility lingered at the back of mind, as Will rolled down the window. He was full of excitement and nervous thoughts, drifting down the road while he made his way to the life he left behind. 

There wasn’t a specific moment where contact had faltered. It started off gradual, like a cheap candle burning out. Where it is first lit, and the delightful vanilla scent begins to pervade the room. And after a bit, the candle loses its scent, and it becomes a mound of wax slowly melting. Until it is merely a puddle of what was present before. 

***  


The First Christmas, 1985.

That was the beginning, where after moving away Will and his family would visit for holidays and birthdays. The first Christmas was the best, it was like the Byers and El had never left. The Wheelers had thrown a big Christmas party, where the atmosphere truly felt like some sort of giddy happiness. When the night began, it was an outpouring of emotion, along with everlasting hugging, and catching up. It was as if the kids weren’t regularly on the phone every other night. Lucas and Dustin took turns asking Will and Eleven if they had already heard that story, and this other story. And even when Will or Eleven would tell them that the boys had already told them that tale, Dustin would insist they hear it again, because “he could make it better”. But it was Christmas, no one had the heart to refuse him, so Dustin story told to his heart’s delight. Nancy and Jonathan mostly lingered in the kitchen, the rest of the house could only hear Nancy’s occasional giggles and Jonathan’s pleading for her to quit getting flour on them. The two had discovered themselves with the task of baking more and more Christmas cookies, due to the fact that every time they seemed to set a platter down for the teens, it was left in scraps a few minutes later. The group mainly accused Lucas though, claiming he would seize five at a time the second plate was set down. But this just made Jonathan and his girlfriend more eager to bake another batch together. They just ached to be with each other, it didn’t matter what they were doing. Joyce and the rest of the adults sat in the dining room, drinking wine and discussing city differences. The Wheelers had inquiries pouring out of their mouths about how different it was like, where Joyce lived now. She struggled to keep up with responding to everything, but she knew they meant well. Mike’s little sister, Holly, sat with them at the table, but barely paid any regard to what was happening. She had more focus on her dolls that appeared to be having their own conversation. From everyone, the night consisted of exchanging presents, losing count of the treats they were eating, and laughs that houses all around the block could hear. It was bliss. It was the vanilla scent. 

Yet, even through the fumes of enthusiasm during the holiday season, and the drunken chuckles from the adults, Will Byers couldn’t stop noticing actions that seemed rather strange from the corner of his eye. Specifically, the odd actions coming from his friend, Mike. Even though it had only been a few months, everyone could notice the few inches Mike had gained onto his height, he was getting taller by the second. His hair had grown out too, which of course meant every few minutes he was brushing it back out of his face. But although his appearance had made changes, so had his actions. At first, it hadn’t really been much, but it was snowballing into more notable things. The way El would scoot up close to Mike, only for him to move just centimeters away in the other direction. El wouldn’t notice though, something that Will believed Mike minded. Things carried on like that for the rest of the night though, how El would be completely over the boy and he’d merely smile and turn the opposite way. As if he had other things to bother about. At some point in the night, Will began to fret if perhaps something had occurred while they had been gone, something possibly to do with some monster, and Mike wasn’t communicating to anyone. Will was moving back from the bathroom and paused in the corridor to take some chance to speculate about what was transpiring. Mike was behaving withdrawn, just like how Will would appear in time before. How it would feel like only he knew what was going on, and was frightened to notify anyone about it. He didn’t want Mike to be fearful about telling anyone, that was the last thing Will desired. Dread awoke in him, as Will set down his glass while his hand started to shake in the most inadequate way, utterly at the thought of encountering some sort of monster yet again. He concluded that the likelihood of trouble held more prominent importance than the fact that everyone was playing twister in the living room. He would have to try and see what was going on with Mike. As he slowly made his way to the living room, he tried his most careful to not think about what they would do if there, in fact, was some new type of predicament. He questioned if he and the people he cared most about would ever catch a break. Was peace really a concept that was so laborious to achieve? Why was it them that had to persist in such horrible exploits? He mentally noted to himself to see if Mike had any opinions as to that, as he eventually reached the rest of his friends. 

Will walked into the room and his eyes roamed onto Dustin calling out colors. Dustin maintained his long-distance relationship with his girlfriend, Suzie. They were seemingly doing well, and according to what Dustin had declared earlier, Lucas and Max had finally stopped teasing him for his singing with Suzie back in July. Lucas was on the couch cheering Max on, they had a playful relationship. Between the two of them, Max undoubtedly wore the pants, though Lucas always knew how to make her content. Lucas was the one who was continuously holding her when conditions got difficult over Billy, with him being gone. It was like Max had all the surface level strength to be herself in front of their friends, but behind closed doors, Lucas had to have enough strength for the both of them. Max was competing with Eleven on the mat. Eleven’s hair was gradually getting longer, and she had finally fully settled into her own style. She however still sometimes wore old clothes that Hopper had given her, for more sentimental reasons. 

His death was arduous on everyone, acknowledging he had always felt like an overhead father figure to them all. But of course, no one experienced his lost like Eleven. And… and reasonably Will’s mom as well. Will could sense Joyce’s anxiety of depending on someone else, ever since Will’s dad walked out on the family and then Bob passing away. But even the blindest could see how much she cared for Hopper, and even more so how much he cared for her. Will always thought Hopper got so wrapped up in everything that happened just for Eleven, but it was evident that Joyce was a purpose for him to care as well, for him to risk so much. Will would pretend that one night back in the new house, he hadn’t heard Eleven’s soft weepings from her room, or how his mother’s familiar steps went down the hallway and what could only be assumed to go help Eleven. Joyce would tell Will that everything was okay now, but it was obvious it wasn’t okay. But deep inside the boy knew that if it gave his mother more comfort to lie about artificial happiness to her son, Will would play along until things were truly better. 

“Thank god you don’t have your powers to knock me over or something, El!” Max laughed as she flashed a smirk to the other girl. Eleven simply rolled her eyes with a giggle. 

Finally, Will’s eyes descended on Mike, who was sitting on the couch opposite to Lucas, looking like he would preferably be anywhere else but here. Even with that pissy look on his face, Will still thought he looked more handsome than ever. The way his freckles had somewhat disappeared when summer departed but were still apparent in this lighting, And how his emerald green sweater somehow opposed his night-black hair to make it look even more elegant. All Will had wanted for years on end was to run his hand through those black locks, to look at Mike's eyes as he felt the soft hair between his fingers. 

A sudden yelp from Max drew Will back to reality. The redhead had slipped on the mat attempting to move a hand too far back, therefore prompting a cheer from El. Lucas murmured and made a comment about Max needing to work on her balance, only to receive a punch in the arm from his girlfriend. Eleven had turned to Mike with a grin. Her brown eyes looked youthful, bright, and full of life. Will could barely envision the type of delight the must have been buzzing through Eleven at that moment. Being surrounded by friends, back in the house that once protected her. And now admiring her… boyfriend? Will wasn’t sure what was happening among Mike and Eleven. She looked even more enamored with him than previously thought, if that was even conceivable. 

“Do you want to play twister with me now, Mike?” She asked him pleasantly. 

“I... I don’t know, El.” He replied quickly, making only abrupt eye contact with the girl and he seemed to look throughout the room for some excuse to get out of the request. Any boy would have abandoned anything to play twister with another girl, so why was Mike looking so uncomfortable? Well… any boy but Will maybe. Will comprehended that even though he was intruding, this was probably the best time to do so. He assumed Mike would agree so as well. 

“Hey, Mike?” Will’s voice seemed to pierce through the air, like a new addition into the room. No one must have remarked he had been standing there, it stung Will a tad. But it was a type of blindness he had grown used to, it didn’t make him cherish his friends any less. Mike hurriedly looked up to Will, looking hopeful and pleading with his eyes to be taken away from this position. 

“Yeah, Will?” 

“I was wondering if I could talk to you?” Will felt his neck get hot, he sounded so childish, like a kid asking his mother if they could leave the party because it was past their bedtime. He wished his friends wouldn’t mention that after he left. Luckily, Mike didn’t share the embarrassment, as he got up without a smidge of uncertainty and agreed. 

“Of course,” he turned back to El, “maybe when I come back?”

The girl seemed disappointed as she dipped her head like a puppy, but she still gave Mike a smile and nodded, “When you come back.”

With that, Mike gave Eleven a halfhearted smile and turned back to Will. Will motioned for Mike to commence the way, permitting him to decide where they could talk. He hoped Mike wouldn’t lead them to the dining room, Will really didn’t want his mother overhearing any troubles. He knew that she would freak out in a moment. And perhaps the kitchen wasn’t the best idea either, Nancy and Jonathan looked so happy in there. It would be a shame for such a night to be ravaged like that. But Will realized that’s exactly what he was preparing to do to himself. He was ruining his own night by confirming if there was new activity in Hawkins. And perhaps he would be ruining Mike’s night as well, by making him open up about something that had scarred him. But before Will could tell Mike he misremembered about what he wanted to talk about, and dismiss the possible problem, Mike was already leading him to the basement. Will hadn’t thought they’d need that much privacy, but it was a good idea. So he went ahead and went down the steps to the lower level and stopped once he reached the middle of the room. As his eyes roamed the environment, he took into account numerous things. It looked a bit different, lots of old action figures were missing, but most plausibly not thrown away. Will knew Mike had his determination set on growing up faster than anyone else, but Will also knew that Mike wouldn’t be able to throw away his childhood entirely. There was an empty bowl on the couch, possibly from a previous snack that had been left down here. Will noticed that Dungeon and Dragons wasn’t out or set up, which made Will turn around immediately. 

“Where’s the Dungeon and Dragons set up?” He asked with confusion, wondering if they had started playing at someone else’s house. 

“Oh,” Mike let out a light chuckle. “We tried to play once, you know, after you left. But it just… it felt weird? Max attempted taking your place, but I think she might have just offered out of pity, and not interest. Because either way, she didn’t understand a thing that was going on. We haven’t really played much since then, so it’s up in my room.” Mike aimed back up the stairs as he said that with his hand, granting Will with a little comfort. He was alarmed for a second that things had changed a lot more than he anticipated, knowing that the game was simply in Mike’s room instead calmed Will. In all honesty, he was horrified at the thought of things changing too much. He was robbed of his childhood, and he would do anything to keep a secure clutch on whatever was left of it. He then remembered why they were in the basement in the initial place, and so did Mike. 

“So… what’s up?” Mike asked, a tone that showcased a pure sense of bewilderment as to why Will had asked to talk to him. Will was hit with the sudden recognition that he didn’t know how to start off this conversation, he couldn’t straight out ask Mike if he had had an encounter with something bad. This could feel intimidating to Mike or scare him off.

“Um.. are you okay?” Will finally stammered out. This was a good enough start. 

“What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be okay?” Mike seemed to tense up, his tone became defensive and uptight. 

Will wondered if this had actually been a good idea, he didn’t want Mike and him to have yet another argument, the last one had been enough to last for ages. He would remember the words Mike left imprinted in his brain forever, the way “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” rang in his ears for hours. He distinguished that Mike didn’t intend it that way, in the way that… that indicated Will was, well, different. He knew that Mike didn’t mean it that way because there couldn’t be any chance Mike knew. Will made sure no one knew, that he positively didn’t like girls. It was the 80’s, for God’s sake. Will wouldn’t withstand life if anyone knew his secret. Every day could turn into a battlefield, the way homosexuality was looked down upon, Will had to make sure no one knew. So he played the young and innocent card. He played the act that he had really not gained interest in girls that way, but it would come. That’s what he described to his friends, that it would come at some point. Even Will himself hoped it would come at some point. But he found little chance in that as well. 

As much as he wished he could halt those feelings, longings, and wishes, Will had no choice. He attempted many times in the past to just get over himself. Not only for him to get over his interest in boys, but his interest in Mike. To convince himself that this was just some silly admiration over his best friend, something he could easily move on from. But then proceeded the days where Mike was there for him when no one else was, where when Will was lost and terrified of himself, Mike was there to spark everything back up. It was when everything began with the Demogorgon where Will knew this was more than just some flimsy crush. And when the Mind Flayer came around, Will could only find his happiness in Mike. When he couldn't recognize anyone but Mike, he could have sworn that at that moment everyone would have discovered his dirty, disgusting secret. But no one suspected anything. And he assumed that Mike didn’t either because Mike showcased the most concern he had ever, remaining overnight for Will when he was in the hospital bed, prioritizing his best friend over everything. It was something Will knew had no passionate intentions, but still made his heart flutter whenever he thought about it. But when things had became more pressing with Mike and Eleven, Will remembered his place. He always understood his place. Moments, where Will could gaze at Mike adoringly, had turned into times where he could only graze his eyes upon his best friend before Eleven would snatch him elsewhere. Meaningful discussions turned into updates on his involvement, and somewhere along the line, Will just settled. What he fancied was wrong and he acknowledged that. But even though the exterior aspects had changed, Will worried that nothing could ever change the way he privately felt about Mike. 

“I don’t know. Things just kinda seem like they’re off with you… like your mind is somewhere else all the time.” Will responded with a small shrug. He knew he couldn’t sound like he had been inspecting Mike’s every move, it would come off odd, and… and queer. 

“What makes you say that?” His tone came off… interested? Will lifted an eyebrow. He had planned for Mike to respond with something different, like a statement of some sort that had to do with visions or an episode. Instead, Mike looked hopeful. As if Will knew something that Mike couldn’t say aloud. It left Will lost in what they were talking about. 

“Mike… Did you experience something? Something weird? That… that isn’t normally supposed to happen?” Will knew he shouldn’t just say it, so he tried his best at hinting at the nightmares and visions he used to get with the Mind Flayer. And something must’ve ticked in Mike because his eyes grew and he looked uncertain. 

“You’ve noticed? I mean… I don’t know what happened. And I didn’t know you had felt it too,” Mike began, but hearing his comment on not knowing Will’s previous encounter made Will think Mike was talking about something completely different. Will wasn’t able to speak up though, because Mike advanced to speak without a hitch. “I’m not sure when it started but I don’t know how to tell Eleven, she’d be so sad…” 

“Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“I was… I was asking if you’ve had any trouble with… with monsters or anything lately. That’s what I was asking.” 

Mike saw his mistake, and his cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red. Will racked his mind to try and insinuate what Mike was talking about. He had momentarily touched on the topic of how he had been acting with Eleven in a way? Perhaps it was just some silly girl problem. But that didn’t explain why Mike was acting that way with everyone. His girlfriend wasn’t the focus of his world, to define how he managed everyone else. Will knew that his temper was biased to his feelings, but his jealousy bubbled as he approached his friend’s selfish ways. 

“No, I haven't had any encounters. No one has since you moved.” Mike replied looking away from Will. 

“Then what else is wrong?”

“Will, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about. I’m fine. Everyone’s here, we’re all together… you, Jonathan, your mom,” Mike seemed to hesitate for a moment before he said the next name, “and El. You’re all here. And I’m fine.” He finished his sentence with a disturbing coldness and turned his back on Will. Mike was making his way back to the stairs, getting ready to retreat to the party when Will spoke up. 

“Then why are you acting like you’d rather be dead than around any of us?” Will’s eruption froze Mike’s in his tracks as he slowly revolved back to glance at Will. His own exclamation startled Will, but he had no intent in stopping there. Before the tall boy could vocalize, Will spoke up once again. 

“I could look at you at any point during this whole party, Mike, and you’ll look like you don’t even want to see your friends altogether. Like… Like you hate us now or something. Like you hate me! What is your problem? Why do you-” 

“I don’t know, Will! I don’t know what my problem is, okay?” Mike elevated his voice, cutting Will off. It was like Will’s attempts to be a good friend were absolutely ignored as regularly. Mike couldn’t concentrate on a single thing other than his personal needs for a second, and Will wanted to kick himself for how stupid he had been for thinking it really mattered how much he wanted to be there for Mike. How much Will cared would never value, exceptionally to Mike. 

“Then figure out what the fuck your problem is.” Will demanded as he walked directly past Mike, making certain to push the other boy with his shoulder as he did so. Will was tired of constantly just being there, like someone in the background to Mike. The Wheeler boy behaved as if they hadn’t been best friends just a few months ago, before Eleven and he had become a thing. He’d be fibbing if he said most of his anger wasn’t built on envy, but it was more than just that as well. Will was furious at himself for letting his emotions get wrapped up in something so pathetic. 

As Will climbed the stairs that led out of the basement, he swore something to himself. Will swore that he would never, ever, let Mike Wheeler back into his heart.

And after a few days, it was time for goodbyes once anew, but contrastingly unlike the first time, there were no tears. Because, of course, there would be more events to bring the Byers back, to bring bliss back. Mike and Will didn’t address their argument from a few days prior, but they still spoke. Mike appeared to strive to act more apologetic without directly apologizing, like asking Will if he could get him something from the kitchen before asking anyone else, and asking about Will’s life where they had moved. At first, Will found it challenging to not swoon for Mike when he was acting so genuine, but Will would remember that the only reason Mike was acting this way was to make up for how shitty he had been previously. When he remembered this, Will remembered the pain, which made him remember his promise. He knew that if things were different, he and Mike would have hugged for much longer when they said goodbye. And that Will would have looked back as they drove away, but he didn’t. Instead, he simply looked out the window. Eleven excitedly spoke about how this had been her favorite Christmas, and Will simply nodded along. There wasn’t much else for him to do.  
He felt as if the vanilla scent was gone, the candle was solely melting now. 

***

The Following Summer, 1986.

Everyone had planned to see each other sometime promptly after that, but nothing ever matched up with everyone's schedules until the next summer. There were a few weeks right after school let out before Dustin and Lucas left for camp, to which Will and his family determined was a good span of time to visit. As the four loaded their things into Jonathan’s car, Eleven questioned Joyce why they couldn't just spend the summer entirely in Hawkins, instead of only staying for a little while. Will moderately seconded Eleven's plead. He was starting to understand the necessity for separation. There would come a period where The Byers couldn't come visit as often, seeing as the drive was long-drawn and Joyce couldn't keep taking so many breaks from her job. Will imagined the hassle she must have gone through with her boss to get this many days off, as he buckled himself in the car. There was always the alternative of Jonathan driving, but he seemed rather occupied most of the time with his photography and the job he had also obtained where they presently lived. Also, there was news that Will knew that Jonathan hadn’t told Joyce yet. 

It was uncovered one night when Jonathan knocked on Will’s room door softly. Will didn’t know what he was doing awake, but he hoped Jonathan wouldn’t ask as he permitted his entrance. Perhaps Will had just been staring at the ceiling, wishing things could’ve been ever so different. Whatever he was doing was cut short when Jonathan walked over to his bed. This action mimicked many other occurrences such as this, other times where Jonathan had come into Will’s room to have some sort of talk. Ones that started gradual, where Jonathan would just tell Will a chore he had to do in the morning, but then would develop to one of them bringing up something less surface level, and thus commencing a long, and deep conversation. Will loved his brother a little more in those moments, he felt at ease knowing he had someone to talk to about most things. So when Jonathan began speaking, the familiar flows of ease settled into him. His older brother was probably here to tell him about work, or something funny that happened to him and couldn’t wait until the morning. He took in Jonathan’s appearance. His hair was shaggier, Will doubted he planned to get it cut anytime soon. He had kept the same haircut for a while now, and Will believed that didn’t bother the young man that much. He had the same tired eye bags he always had, it seemed to fit him, and at this point, the attribute just blended in. It would suddenly be odd if Jonathan didn’t have his eye bags or his same haircut. It would be odd if Jonathan weren’t here at all, he played such an important role in The Byers’ life. Will assumed that since their dad left, Jonathan felt that he needed to take on the responsibility of being the oldest male of the house. He knew Joyce couldn’t handle it all. Jonathan drove Will and El, who was now speaking better than ever, to school. He made them food when he could, he would offer to watch over the two teens, even though everyone knew the two didn’t need a babysitter, while Joyce went out for a bit. He always put everyone else as his first priority, and his own needs and wants second. He was such a good guy, Will looked up to him immensely. Will eventually started to pay attention to the words leaving his brother’s mouth. 

“Will, you know how things are pretty decent at work, right?” Jonathan started off, with a lighthearted and casual tone. Will simply nodded in response, preparing himself for what seemed to be another one of Jonathan’s crazy customer stories. “And you know I would never do anything without being really sure it was the right thing, right?” Will nodded slower, he was losing understanding of where this was going, and now awaited Jonathan’s reveal. Jonathan sighed and looked away from Will and to the wall across from Will’s bed. Will had tried his best to make this room like his old one back in Hawkins, but it felt too weird to make it a replica. Solely because then he would want to make his whole new life here a replica, and everyone knew that wasn’t possible, especially Will. So he hung up a drawing every now and then, and his desk had a drawer of more, ones that he preferred to not have on such a display. He had forgotten to put away his colored pencils, seeing their presence scattered on the desk. He made a mental reminder to put them away when Jonathan left, he didn’t want one rolling off and scaring him awake in the night. Will was getting better with how timid he was about that kind of stuff, but he still wanted to prevent said experience. 

“Will?” Jonathan’s voice broke the silence. Will hadn’t noticed that Jonathan had turned back to face his brother. Will muttered a small apology and brought his focus back onto Jonathan, who was now brushing his hand against Will’s duvet. He looked hesitant, like he had to say something but was too scared to. Will could identify that look anywhere, he was too familiar with it. It was the look Will had worn so many times before. It also reminded him of the look Mike had on his face the last time Will had seen him… 

“Yes, Jonathan?” Will spoke for the first time, his voice must have made Jonathan’s nerves calm, because he finally looked up into his brother’s eyes. 

“I… I quit my job.” Jonathan finally spit out, quickly following up with “don’t worry, I have reasoning…” Will was in a slight state of shock, why was Jonathan telling him this? Didn’t he know they had bills to pay? Despite his age, Will well understood they couldn’t live a good life with simply Joyce’s salary. He couldn’t form words, so his mouth simply hung agape, and his eyes searched Jonathan’s for some sort of reason. This cued Jonathan to lift his feet off of the floor, and bring them to onto the bed with the rest of his body. He crossed his legs and tucked his feet beneath him, and started to fiddle his fingers together. “I was looking through his newspaper, and there were ads about this job that offered side classes, for a photographer for some big company in.... in New York. And I thought that.. Maybe I can do that? So I sent in some of my best work for them to look at, and they were so impressed, Will. So… So I… I” Jonathan came to a loss of words, and tore his eyes away from Will once again. It was clear he feared Will’s disapproval. 

Will knew what was coming, and his heart sank. Was his big brother really leaving him? In the time where Will felt like Jonathan was one of the last people who were really there for him? Will wanted to beg and plead his brother to not go anywhere, to get his job back… to forget his dream. His dream. A new realization bubbled in Will. Jonathan was just going after what would make him happier, he was focusing on himself. For years, Jonathan was forced to grow up faster than he should have, and care for others. No one ever asked him to do any of that, but Jonathan just knew he had to. So for years on long he helped others, he did everything he could for anyone but himself. But here he was, finally putting himself as his first priority. And suddenly all confusion in Will vanished, and he was once again in awe of his brother. He once again idolized Jonathan, and the courage he had. The courage he had to go after his passion. So with that, Will brought his hand to Jonathan’s arm. This act of compassion surprised Jonathan, as he quickly turned his head back, awaiting a reply. Will had millions of things racing through his mind, he tried his best to pick the perfect thing to say, but there were so many options. He could have rambled about how proud he was, or how he would help Jonathan tell their mother. Will could have expressed how much he always looked up to his big brother, and how in this moment he looked up to him even more, he could have said so many things. But he finally spoke, 

“That sounds really, really amazing Jonathan.” 

Jonathan pulled Will in, and they embraced as they spoke for a while after that. 

That was a few days ago. The boys agreed that Jonathan would let Will know when he was going to tell Joyce, but he had plans to tell Nancy first, because as Will expected, Jonathan wanted his girlfriend to come with him. Even though Will and Eleven hadn’t seen their friends in a while, Jonathan would sometimes go out at night or very early in the morning to go drive to Nancy and spend some time with them. They were so happy together. Growing up, Will always wondered why he never felt attached to girls, like other boys may have felt. So he would pay attention to all the couples that were presented around him. Perhaps to see if he was really missing out, or if he just needed some exposure to ignite some sort of longing. He’d go out and would try his best to not stare, but simply observe casually at the couples around town. Like the ones at the diner in town, who shared milkshakes, and the girls who were impressed by the boys and their shiny car. When Will would walk down the streets downtown, he would pass alleys where the same types of couples would be making out against the brick wall of the next door store. They, as in the couples of Hawkins, looked like they did as if they were running out of time. Whether it was sharing a milkshake, driving around town, or making out wherever they went. The girls and their boys had their romance tied to a ticking time bomb, and gosh, to Will that looked to unpleasant. But Jonathan and Nancy… they seemed different. They didn’t do everything with a rush, they were the exact opposite to what Will had seen. They were… in love. The two young adults seemed more in love than any other couple their age that Will had ever seen in Hawkins. Will knew that if they ever shared a milkshake, they would stare into each other’s eyes lovingly, telling stories about their day. Maybe Nancy would put her hand on the table, and Jonathan would reach over and hold it. And they would stay there, like the world stopped for them. And Jonathan didn’t have some sort of shiny car to impress Nancy with, he never had. But Will noticed that Nancy still looked at Jonathan like he was the most impressive person in the world. He didn’t need all the material things, or to be reckless and push Nancy against brick walls in alleyways to make out with her. Nancy and Jonathan looked as if they would be content if they only had each other, and that’s why Will assumed Jonathan wanted Nancy to come with him. 

As Will rest his head back on the car seat, he made a conclusion. If in another life, he were to love girls, he would want a relationship just like his brother’s. 

Will didn’t know if he would ever find love with another guy, he didn’t even know how that worked… no one ever spoke about it. Maybe he could hope for a relationship just like his brother’s, but with a guy? Maybe that could happen? Will remembered a time where he wanted that with a certain boy in his life. The memory was bittersweet. How he used to want to be near Mike all the time no matter what they were doing. How he wanted Mike to look at him the way Nancy looked at Jonathan, impressed with who he was and only who he was. 

Will wanted to say he was over Mike completely, and hoped that nothing would make him believe otherwise when they arrived in town. It was far fetched, to the point where Will probably would have just been better off diminishing the possibility as a whole, but he let the smallest part of himself hope. Otherwise, Will was happy to see everyone back together. 

His friends had called him every now and then, just to talk. Dustin would make Will laugh with his endless stories about the times he hung out with Steve and Robin, doing what he called “cool teenage stuff”. Once Dustin received a punch in the arm from Lucas for saying that, to which Dustin blamed Lucas’ jealousy. Lucas then took the phone and asked Will about how things were going for him. It made Will smile when he did that. It was nice, of course, to hear Dustin voice and listen to how well he was doing. But Will liked the attention Lucas gave him, sort of a spotlight he wasn’t so used to. It made him feel like his friends wanted to hear what he had to say. So Will would ramble for a little bit, pass the phone to Eleven, who would then speak to Max. Max would speak a lot more to Eleven than to Will, but he mostly listened. Lucas would interject every now and then, yelling in the background “You’re telling the story wrong!”, earning a fit of giggles from both Will and Eleven. Then the phone would get passed to Mike, and even though Will tried his best to not pay too much attention, he noticed that throughout their weekly calls, Mike became less and less interested in Eleven and what she had to say. 

One night it got to the point where before they called up their friends, Eleven had softly asked Will if he could leave the room when the phone got handed to Mike. At first, Will was confused, as he usually was with nearly everything. But then he caught on, maybe they had something important to talk about. Perhaps Eleven wanted some answers as to why Mike had put so much distance between them, more than they already had in a literal sense. Will simply accepted her request with a nod and supportive smile. So they called their friends, and the usual run down occurred, and when Max handed the phone to Mike, Will quietly got up and gave Eleven another smile before leaving the room. He walked to the living room, where things were oddly quiet, but in a still peaceful way. Joyce was still out working, probably the night shift, Will assumed. And Jonathan was out… nowhere specific it was believed, 

Will sat in the wooden dining chair and traced his fingers along the edge of the table. He wondered if he would get a chance to speak to Mike after Eleven was done, it was improbable though. Eleven would most likely hang up and go to her room to just think for a bit, that’s what she usually did after their calls. Sometimes Will would look at the girl, and have to think about how this was the same person from two years ago. She had always been independent, but now she really didn’t rely on anyone. Will wondered if it was because the one person she truly relied on, Hopper, passed and if it had changed her. It was a pained concept, one that Will wished Eleven would speak about. She had no hesitation speaking about nearly everything else though, seen has how far along her vocabulary had come. Eleven had insisted that someone gave her a new word every day, not explaining why to anyone but Joyce. Everyone obliged, and it usually would be Jonathan who provided on the way to school. It was amusing how rare Eleven had to remind him, as he would usually come prepared to give her a word. She always smiled when he told her too, Will had once told her she was prettier when she smiled and ever since she tried to do it more often. Will wasn’t lying, Eleven had a smile that was contagious. Her hair was being grown out, now at a point a bit beyond her shoulders. And after a random trip to the drug store with Will, Eleven had tried picking out makeup to try and start wearing. It was out of pure curiosity at first, but after Will had helped her apply mascara and lip gloss when they got home, she fell in love with said products. That was also the day the two learned that Will was surprisingly good at painting nails, as he did hers while they listened to a track in her room. Yes, there were parts of Will that had built a grudge against Eleven just due to her association with Mike, but Will knew that was childish. It was never actually her fault, none of it was. And taking her in as family made them grow closer, and Will cared more for her than ever before. Which is why when he heard soft, quiet cries come from his room he quickly rose to his feet. 

He didn’t understand why Eleven would be crying, and at the back of his mind he hoped that it wasn’t her crying. But that would make the situation all the more creepy. Will shifted his weight onto each foot as he walked against the wooden floor, letting his fingers trace the wall. Will slowly peeked his head into his room’s doorway, revealing the sight of Eleven gently crying into her hands. Will wasn’t sure what to say, but he moved over to where she was, sitting on his bed. He sat down, and Eleven looked up noticing his sudden presence. They didn’t say anything, for a second Eleven and Will just exchanged glances. Her cheeks stained with tears, and flushed with a tint of red. Will lifted his hand and pushed back a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, flashing her one more smile, different from the ones from earlier though. This one exhibited care, aid, and nurture. This one felt the smile Joyce had always given Will when things got difficult. And maybe, just maybe, Eleven had seen Joyce in Will’s smile. Because it wasn’t long until she brought her arms around the boy and continued to quietly cry. Even then though, there were no words. And Will tried his best to not question, or ask anything. He just sat there, arms around Eleven, holding her close. Holding her together, in a way. It felt like forever until her words finally filled the silence. 

“I think Mike dumped me.” 

Will was grateful that Eleven’s head was on his shoulder, so she couldn’t see how his eyes widened like saucers. He wished his brain could form words, but he found himself at a loss. Questions flooded into his brain like an unleashed dam. Eleven must have confused his silence for an invitation to keep talking, because once again she broke the silence. 

“He said… he said he did not feel the way he used to… and that he knew I would be sad and that he was very sorry.” 

Mike’s voice from months ago rang in Will’s head. 

I’m not sure when it started but I don’t know how to tell Eleven, she’d be so sad… 

He had been acting weird because he had been losing feelings for Eleven, Will came to terms with. It made sense, the way he had been acting, and the sense of relief Mike seemed to had gotten when he thought Will knew what he was going through. Will sighed, now piecing together everything and pulling Eleven closer to him. 

“If he knew I was going to be sad… why did he do it?” Eleven asked Will, managing to speak again through a sob. Will wished he knew why Mike did what he did, and why he acted the way he acted, and the thoughts he thought. Will wished he could explain to Eleven what was going on, talk to her about how things were going to be okay, provide comfort in the best way. He wanted to tell her that Mike would come around, and that she and him would be just like they used to be. 

But he couldn’t. Will couldn’t bring himself to say any of that. So he left his thoughts unspoken and finally said his first words. 

“He knew it would make you sad, but he also knew if he didn’t tell you, you’d be sadder later on.” 

And with that, Eleven didn’t stay much longer in Will’s arms. She thanked him, Will not being sure of what, and said she wanted to be alone. He simply nodded at her request and watched as Eleven made her way out of his room and away to hers. After her departure, all the boy could do was lay his head back on his pillow and stare at the ceiling. 

Will was bright, he considered himself to be smart. Inquisitive, even. His teachers always told him he was always thinking deeply and threading out answers. But as hard as he pondered, Will couldn’t figure out for the life of him as to why Mike had discarded Eleven. He couldn’t come up with one good reason for such an occurrence. 

After that night, the phone stopped getting passed to Mike during the weekly calls. 

Will felt his shoulder get bumped, and brought his vision from out the window to his left. There sat Eleven with a grin, pointing to the sign that signaled they were now entering Hawkins. Will paid the girl a smile back and returned his stare to out his window. He made eye contact with his mother, who was looking in the rear view mirror. And then Will glanced at Jonathan, who was in the driver’s seat, drumming his fingers lightly against the steering wheel to the beat of the radio. 

Will had gone through many versions of what could be considered a family. The turmoil of living with his father, mother, and Jonathan. Then getting used to the absence of his father. The brief timespan where Bob was welcomed into the family, then the father figure absence once more. And then his current state, two siblings and his mother. This one felt different, closer, Will could say. And maybe it had taken some time getting used to, understanding how it was to have a sister. But the boy liked to say he knew decently how it was now. It was like having a brother… but Will had the excuse of talking about boys and looking through teen magazines because he was just hanging out with Eleven. It was sort of a cape from reality, and it was certainly something to be grateful for. 

Jonathan quietly gasped as a Journey song came on the radio, prompted a playful eye roll from Joyce. Will smiled as Jonathan turned the volume up, and Eleven shared the grin. Suddenly Jonathan burst out singing, with not the best tune, but a voice that was bearable.

“Those crazy nights, I do remember in my youth  
I do recall, those were the best times, most of all,”

“Oh my gosh…” Eleven said, her grin not leaving her face for a second. Jonathan took her reaction as an invitation to continue, as he persisted to the next line while bobbing his head to the song. 

“In the heat with a blue jean girl.”

Joyce burst into laughter and gently hit Jonathan’s shoulder jokingly. Even though her actions seemed like a request to stop, the woman didn’t hesitate to join her son on the following lyrics though, her voice coming out much sweeter than Jonathan’s. 

“Burning love comes once in a lifetime  
She found me singing by the railroad tracks  
Took me home, we danced by the moonlight”

It wasn’t a surprise when Eleven grabbed Will’s arm, her eyes begging for them both to join in. And on any other given day, Will would have bashfully denied such plead, but the bubbling laughter in his chest wanted otherwise. So as the family drove down the road with their windows down, they all loudly joined together for the chorus of the song. 

“Those summer nights are calling  
Stone in love  
Can't help myself, I'm falling  
Stone in love.”

“We’ll drop you off here at Mike’s, and you guys can hang out with your friends until later, okay?” Joyce told the two kids while turning in her seat to look at them. Eleven cringed at Mike’s name, reminding Will they hadn’t fully repatched, but agreed to remain kind for the sake of their friends. So Will answered for him and Eleven, telling his mother they understood and would let her know by a phone call if they decided to go out. She gave them a smile as Jonathan unlocked the car doors and watched them as they made their way up the Wheelers’ front lawn. 

“I am nervous.” Eleven quietly made out, at a volume for only Will to hear, even though no one else was around. He looked at her with a small pinch of pity, feeling bad that she couldn’t be angry at Mike for breaking up with her because it’d cause a commotion among the group of friends. 

Will simply brought his hand to hers, gently squeezed it, and replied with the same soft tone as she had used, “Don’t be, I’m here.” And once Eleven nodded, Will let go of her hand and brought his to the front door across from them. He hoped the girl next to him didn’t hear how his breath shudders as he knocked twice. He had no reason to be nervous, he was just hesitant to see how much had changed. Sure, he and Eleven stayed updated with anything major through the phone. But that didn’t cover appearance, or how his friends acted now. As the door opened, Will let go of his worries. Because there stood Lucas with the goofiest grin, and his arm over Max, who squealed at the sight of Eleven. Max sprung from Lucas and threw herself at Eleven, both girls hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Lucas’ laugh erupted at what happened and shrugged as he brought Will in for a hug. Lucas smelt like the woods and spices, without a doubt it was a cologne he probably borrowed from his father. 

“Missed you, man” Lucas told Will once they pulled away, his voice notably deeper than how it sounded on the phone. It was then where he took in his two friends’ appearances. Lucas had gotten a bit taller, along with Max. Will hoped he’d hit growth spurt soon, he didn’t want to be left in the dust by his friends. Max appeared to be letting her hair grow out, seen as it had gone from a little under her collarbone to now hitting the start of where her ribs presumably were. She wore blue biker shorts, and a decently oversized white t-shirt. Will recognized that shirt… it was only a moment until he remembered it was actually Lucas’. The concept made him smile. Lucas wore the red muscle tank, and what appeared to be cargo shorts. His typical summer attire, to say the least. It wasn’t long until Will and Eleven were ushered into the house. The four made their way by following Lucas to the living room, where it was apparent they had been setting up for Will’s and Eleven’s arrival. On the table, there was a bowl of chips, some dip, and a couple of opened soda cans. Will wondered why they hadn’t already grabbed a soda for him, everyone knew his favorite. The idea made Will remember all the playful debates he used to have with his friends over which soda was superior. Will watched as Eleven and Max separated themselves, giggling and stating they were going to go to the bathroom. If Will had heard such a concept months ago, he would be immensely confused, wondering why both of them were going. But the way females functioned for the most part was also something Will had grasped with now having a sister. Lucas chuckled watching the two girls scrambled off, and he turned to Will. 

“I gotta go call my folks, ask if I can spend the night at Dustin’s,” Lucas paused for a second, “And then go spend the night to Max’s.” He concluded with his cheeks gaining a light pink tint. Will laughed and presented a grin to his friend. 

“Cool, man. Is Dustin here?” 

“He said he’d be here in about an hour, Mike’s in the kitchen prepping stuff for us. I know some chips won’t be enough.” Lucas claimed, gesturing to the bowl Will had noticed earlier. Will nodded as a reply, and viewed Lucas walk out of the room, in the direction of the hallway. The silence caused Will to realize here he was, once again alone. He let out a sigh, reminding himself his solitude wasn’t on purpose, and he shouldn’t act as if he was some kicked puppy to pity. 

Will’s head turned as he heard a noise from the kitchen, and a small curse of frustration filled the prior quiet atmosphere. 

Mike. 

Will swallowed nervously as he looked in the direction of the kitchen, thoughts rummaging in his head. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and he knew he hated the sodas on the table. Coming to the most logical conclusion, Will tapped his fingers together as he started to walk to the kitchen. 

The Wheelers had moved around some furniture, added a few family photos on the wall. Everyone knew that Mike hated taking photos, there were barely anywhere it didn't look like he had just bit into a lemon. When he wanted to be though, Mike was very photogenic. Will could remember that there are some candid photos of him, mostly with his friends, in one of the family albums. His smile was bright, and his eyes seem to shine when he grinned. Will wished he could forget those details, and mentally swore at himself for not already doing so. 

Will moved closer to one of the photos on the wall, trying to examine it better. It was from Nancy’s prom night. She wore a long, periwinkle dress, and her curly hair framed her face beautifully. Beside her was Jonathan, wearing a suit Will could remember was rented, along with a tie that matched the shade of Nancy’s dress. Jonathan had gotten ready really early that day for the Hawkins prom, just so he could avoid any risk of being late. And according to the picture across from Will, Jonathan had succeeded. 

Tearing his eyes from the photograph, Will moved on. He knew he was stalling himself from seeing Mike, even without trying. But that doesn’t mean Will resisted it. He let his attention drift to something he hadn’t noticed. There was a side table at the entrance of the living room that Will couldn’t recognize. Was it new? Had it always been there? It seemed silly, but for some reason this new side table irked something in Will. It had to be recently added to the house, there was no other explanation, seen as Will used to constantly come over and wouldn’t miss it. He lost track of the seconds that passed while he stared at the table, because a voice nearly made Will jump.

“We got that last week.” 

Spinning on his heel, Will faced a boy, who he couldn’t believe was still growing, learning against the wall. Mike surfaced a smirk at Will’s surprised expression, and a chuckle arose from him. All Will could do was stare as Mike made his way over to the side table. 

“Holly thought it’d be a bright idea to draw all over the old one with crayons. Mom took it as a good excuse to finally replace the old thing.” Mike shrugged, grazing his fingers over the wooden table. Will took a second to find a response, just because he was convinced his own heart had stopped that very second. The boy next to him was wearing a grey Star Wars t-shirt, tucked into a pair of light wash jeans with a belt. The heat must have not been getting to him, due to the fact that his attire contrasted everyone else’s. His hair seemed to be losing its waviness, and adapting curls. And like Max, it appeared that Mike was growing his hair out a bit more than its usual cut. Will was close enough to the boy to see how pink Mike’s lips were, and how his freckles were coming back. Then, Will realized that Mike’s eyes didn’t just shine when he smiled, it was all the time. 

“Do I have something on my face, or do I just look that stunning?” Mike finally asked with a laugh. Will quickly looked away and felt his cheeks get hot. He looked so stupid just standing there. But in that past moment, it was as if Will’s brain had forgotten what words even were. Mike must have sensed the sudden tension radiating off of Will, because he quickly added, “I’m just teasing, don’t worry.” 

“Sorry…” Will finally managed to squeak out. “Just… just been a while, you know?” Now he sounded stupid as well. Not seeing Mike for a few months was no excuse to stare at him, to think the things Will was thinking. 

“I get it.” Mike said with yet another shrug. He bluntly looked Will up and down and Will expected anything but what came out of Mike’s mouth next. 

“You look good.” 

No, no he didn’t. Will was wearing red running shorts, because they were comfortable, and a striped t shirt. He looked tired, because that’s what he was. He had been cooped up in a car for the last few hours and thought he looked anything but good. Mike was just being nice, that was the only possible conclusion. Will still planned on just accepting the compliment and moving on though.

“No, I don’t.” Fuck. Will’s words spilled from his lips before he could stop them. He now looked pathetic, as if he was fishing for compliments or had desperately low self esteem. Laughter found a home in Mike, as he shook his head. 

“Don’t lie, Will.” The tone of Mike’s sass rang in Will’s ears. And he didn’t know whether it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Will swore that Mike’s voice had lowered from it’s pitch beforehand. “You know you-”

“I’m not lying.” Will demanded stammering. He didn’t know what type of joke Mike was pulling, but now wasn’t the time. Especially considering where Will had left off with Mike the last time they had seen each other. Will didn’t understand what was going on, and the concept of not knowing what was to come next stirred a sense of fear in the bottom of his stomach. Will’s breath hitched as he watched Mike step closer, which Will thought would have been impossible considering how close they had already been. Will was now staring right into Mike’s eyes, getting the chance to see every detail. The brown hue brought Will comfort, and ease. Will remembered he had a best friend who had those exact eyes, and the same eyelashes that curled so perfectly, and the same pale complexion. This was his best friend. Even through everything that occurred, even when Mike ignored him pushed him around, or did anything else, Will never stopped thinking of him as his best friend. Then a new thought settled into Will’s brain, one unlike remembering who his best friend was. 

If Will were to simply bring himself an inch closer, and stand up on his toes, his lips would brush against Mike’s. And if then, Mike brought his head closer down, their lips would no longer be brushing, but pressed against one another. Stop. That’s not right. Don’t think that. But what else could Will think about? Mike put on a goofy smile in front of Will that only made his heart ache more. After flashing his smile, Mike leaned into Will. Will prayed to any God watching that Mike couldn’t hear his heart beating. Because if it got any louder, Will was afraid it’d pound right out of his chest. Mike didn’t lean into Will’s face though, like Will had thought about merely seconds prior. Instead, Mike leaned to the right, and stopped right next to Will’s ear. 

“You look good, Will.” Mike’s hot breath against Will’s neck made every hair stand up on the poor boy’s body. A shiver ran its way up Will’s spine. He felt his mouth once again go dry, a faint reminder as to how much he had wanted soda earlier, now he only wanted one thing, and one thing only. And Will knew very well it wasn’t a can of soda. “Don’t try to deny it.” Mike pulled away, but not too much. Just so it was to the point where he was looking Will in the eyes again, and not speaking against his ear. 

His body was on fire. He was lit on fire. At some point, Mike must have struck a lit match onto Will Byers’ clothing because he felt so hot all over. Fuck the promise he made to himself about not pining over Mike. Anyone in his spot at that moment in time would understand. How the hell was he supposed to ignore this? 

“I… I…” Will frantically attempted his best to come up with a reply, to say something witty and cool. Something that wouldn’t make Mike pull away disgusted, or disappointed. 

“You know, Will, I gotta tell you-” 

Sadly, Mike didn’t get to tell Will. Right as he was about to say what was apparently on the tip of his tongue, someone banged on the door. It sent a wave of shock through Will, and it must have done the same for Mike, because he jumped a little and was instantly farther away from Will. Will tried to convince himself he moved back just because Mike had gotten startled. He didn’t want to think of how ashamed Mike would have been if someone had seen how close they were standing. Will was also grateful their moment had been stopped though, he had no clue what would have happened or what Mike would have said. But a deeper part inside of Will mourned the halt of their conversation. Now he wouldn’t know what Mike found so important to tell Will at a distance of mere inches away from his face. 

“Hey, guys! It’s your favorite friend! Open up!” Dustin’s voice came from behind the door, along more impatient knocking. 

Both Will and Mike had their eyes go to the door, and then back to each other. 

“You should go get that…” Will’s voice came out, breathlessly he continued, “Before Dustin breaks the door down.” Mike stayed quiet for a second, it seemed like he was searching for something in Will’s eyes, something that was unspoken. 

“Okay. You’re right.” 

Mike finally left his bubble with Will, and Will swore he had forgotten a world outside the event that just happened existed. As Mike opened up the door for Dustin to come in, Will hated that he couldn’t shake how it felt like Mike’s breath still lingered against Will’s neck. And when Dustin engulfed Will in a hug, he hated that his mind was thinking about how soft Mike’s lips had appeared. What Will hated the most was the fact that when all his friends were finally together hanging out, he swore he could feel Mike staring at him. Will quickly pushed himself to pretend what went down with Mike wasn’t how Will had really perceived it. Perhaps he was just so desperate for some sort of attention from a boy, that his brain just made Mike’s small compliment a bigger deal. That was it. 

They watched movies, ate loads of crap, listened to music, and just talked about life. Surprisingly, Eleven and Mike appear to have mended incredibly well. It was weird to see them on a strictly platonic basis, but unusually refreshing. Will liked turning his head and not being instantly faced with Eleven and Mike all over each other. That’s what he liked about Lucas and Max. The most anyone ever saw was maybe a peck or Lucas’ arm around Max. They were casual about it, yet still affectionate. It also seemed as if their relationship was maturing, they bickered less and neither got as quickly agitated as previously seen. Will hoped they lasted, they were a fun couple to be around. 

Even at that moment while everyone had broken up into their own little groups, while still staying in the same room, Lucas and Max were subtlety displaying affection. Max was talking to Will about how “he should totally take up skateboarding” while Lucas was talking to Eleven about how the school system was a scam, and still Will could see Lucas gently brushing his fingers along Max’s. It was sweet. Will felt a stinging in his chest, a painful reminder of how utterly single he was. He told himself to get used to that feeling, because nothing was going to change for a while. Will nodded his head along to what Max was saying, she had moved onto what was considered proper skateboarding gear, bt Will was only half listening. He silently sulked over how difficult it would be for him to ever find a partner, no one wanted to be gay in the 80’s. Well, with few exceptions. But no one wanted to be openly gay at this time, it wasn’t accepted. And as Max drifted onto yet another topic, Will wondered if it would ever be accepted, and if he would ever find love. 

At some point in the night, Mike had brought up the idea of everyone sleeping over. Everyone was a bit iffy on the idea, but no one stopped Mike as he ran up to his mother’s room to ask her. Max and Lucas briefly whispered before Mike came back to let everyone know it was okay. Will remembered Lucas telling him that he and Max had made plans for tonight, to do God knows what. He looked over at the two and guilt was clearly plastered all over their faces. The expression was an odd one on Max, she didn’t wear it often. 

“Mike… Max and I actually have plans for tonight,” Lucas began, changing his usual calm tone to a more apologetic one. Will watched his Mike’s excited exterior fell. Maybe Mike finally noticed sometime while Will was gone that he had been pushing everyone away. Maybe this was his attempt at bringing everyone back. But Will realized when Max reached for Lucas’ hand, that it wasn’t Mike’s fault this time. He wasn’t pushing his friends away anymore, they just wanted a little space. And Mike must have recognized that too in the few seconds of silence, because he gave them a small smile.

“Yeah, that’s okay. We’ll do something again tomorrow.” He told them. 

“We could go to the mall! I hear they finished up construction recently…” Max added in, her tone more gentle than usual. It was then that Eleven perked up.

“That sounds so fun!” She pitched in. Will remembered how much fun it was said that Eleven had the one time she went to the mall before everything happened. He hoped they would go, just so he’d be able to see her smile for a whole day. Mike finally nodded at the suggestion. 

“Sounds good, call me tomorrow okay? We’ll set everything up.” 

Everyone agreed as Lucas and Max got up to leave and bid their goodbyes. 

“Will, do you think we should call Joyce?” Eleven placed her hand on his arm. Will usually would have jumped a little, out of surprise on the sudden unexpected contact. But he was getting better, and Eleven’s hand was warm and safe. He looked over to her and nodded. Eleven stood up and let Mike know she was going to use his phone. Will let his mind wander as Dustin started to tell Mike he had to leave soon as well. He hoped these next two weeks would be like today, where everyone got along and things felt normal. Will hoped tomorrow when they went to the mall, he could go get some ice cream with his friends, catch a movie, go window shopping. He liked normal, he wanted normal. And after all this time, Will thought he the right to say he most definitely deserved normal. 

Eleven entered the living room once again just as Dustin was leaving. 

“She said Jonathan will be here in like five minutes,” Eleven told Will, she quickly looked at Mike. Will could tell she was apprehensive about having to talk to him one on one, Will didn’t blame her. She put her hand on Will’s shoulder and told him, “I am going to wait outside, I will come get you when he is here.” 

If he had been given the chance, Will would have objected. But to his dismay, Eleven was walking before he could get a single word out. He looked back to Mike, and was faced with the boy eating from a bowl of chips. Mike had crumbs on his face, and apparently, he didn’t care too much. Sucking the salt off of his fingers with a loud pop, Mike spoke. 

“Do you think she hates me?” 

“Who? El?” Will furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Yeah, man. You can tell me if she does, I mean, I kinda deserve it.” Mike looked down, prompting a feeling of pity to run through Will. 

“No, she doesn’t hate you. She was just hurt for a little bit.” Will explained, thinking he should move closer to Mike, to provide some sort of comfort. 

“I hope you know it was hard, I didn’t want to hurt her…” Mike looked back up at Will, his eyes honest and his lips parted. Will couldn’t help it, he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and moved across the room next to Mike on the couch. Mike had the talent of looking even more stunning up close, something Will had been reminded of many times today.

“If you lost interest, you had to do it. You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Mike.”

A beat of silence filled the room, Will thought he saw Mike’s eyes glance at his lips, but he ignored it. It was his mind playing sick tricks on him from a place of desire. And for the second time that day, Will prayed that he was the only one that could hear his heart. 

“Thank you… really, Will. You’re my best friend, you know that?”

Oh, you don’t know how much I know that.

“And… I really missed you. You make me better, Will.” Mike continued. 

No, YOU make me better. 

“I feel like… I feel like I should really tell you,”

Tell me what? What do you need to tell me? Spit it out, Mike, please. 

“For a while now, I’ve come to realize that-”

It was then that the front door opened, Mike stopped speaking, and Eleven’s voice came.

“Will, Jonathan’s here!”

Will was convinced God hated him, and when Mike didn’t finish his sentence, Will hoped God knew he hated him right back. 

The night concluded with Mike watching Jonathan drive off from this front door, waving his hand once and then standing there until he was no longer in Will’s view. Mike had acted different tonight, it was like how he used to be, when he and Will were close. But it still struck as unusual, like there was a new factor into his personality. Will hoped this wouldn’t keep him up tonight, he had a thing with thoughts running through his mind when sleep was all he wanted. Plus, he really didn’t want to be tired for tomorrow. Almost like she had read his mind, Eleven spoke up. 

“Tomorrow, will you help me get ready before we go to the mall?” Her voice sweet, and quiet. Will loved helping Eleven get ready. He never got to show it through his own fashion, but Will liked to say he knew what looked good and what didn’t. He also found it incredibly fun to put on music while he styled Eleven’s hair. She wasn’t exposed to homophobia, he thought, because she considered Will’s interest in these things normal. 

“Yeah, of course.” 

Will tried to not think too much about the look Jonathan gave him in the car’s mirror.  


The Night Before The Return, 1986.

Just as hoped, those two weeks in Hawkins had been everything Will had been wishing for. He felt happy, and okay. His friends were inclusive and they felt like everyone was where they were supposed to be. They tried their best to not talk about how Eleven and Will had to leave soon, it was a dreadful topic that immediately made the air of whatever room they were in cold. So instead, they focused on simpler things. Like movies, junk food, bike riding, camping. The group hung out every day, and did their best to always be together. There was one exception though, where the boys got together to play one game of Dungeons and Dragons. But that was necessary. Even though they avoided the topic, they all knew their time was short lasted. It was well understood that Will and Eleven were on a clock for when they needed to head back home. 

Eleven and Mike were better, as time went on. Will swore he passed by their hotel’s bathroom once to hear Eleven giving herself a speech about how she needed to get over herself and be a good friend. Will hoped that Eleven knew it was a joint effort to make amends, and it wasn’t just on her. He would tell her himself, but he was afraid that would just embarrass her. So he never said anything, just gave her encouraging smiles. Turns out that’s all she needed anyways, because it wasn’t long until she was able to have one on one conversations with Mike. One day they had even stayed behind the group when walking to the mall, presumably to talk about what happened. They must have cleared everything up, because neither looked visibly upset. Will was pleased, he had missed peace. 

***

Soon approached the last night Will and his family were spending in Hawkins. Will and Eleven had packed nearly everything up, just so they would be at least a bit ready the next morning. The group of friends had planned a sleepover at Mike’s that night, just so they could savor every last moment. As Eleven and Will got in Jonathan’s car to head over to Mike’s, Will noticed how Eleven wore her frown like only the universe was permitted to see. He understood though, not wanting anyone to know how she felt. Talking about leaving again would just ruin everyone’s mood, but it was upsetting. Deep inside Will had always understood why they had needed to more, it was safer. But even though Will had moved miles away, his happiness had never left this sorry town. And when Jonathan started the car and they began driving down the road, Will felt the same frown creep onto his lips. He wished tonight would never end. Will kept wishing that was they got to the Wheelers, and when he walked through the front door, and as the night carried on. 

“Why can’t we just go with Ghostbusters? It’s a classic.” 

“Dustin, we literally have watched Ghostbustes like every sleepover in the last year,” Lucas groaned as he threw a pillow at Dustin. They had been arguing for the past ten minutes over what movie to watch. Mike’s offers included Ghostbusters, E.T., Gremlins, and The Karate Kid. Everyone was putting up a hard argument as to what they wanted, Will though, was quite okay with any selection. He adored Ghostbusters, but understood Lucas’ point. Dustin, on the other hand, didn’t. 

“Uh, duh, because it’s a classic.” Dustin refuted with, throwing Dustin’s pillow back. “Nothing beats Ghostbusters.” Such a remark made Lucas howl with laughter.

“Are you kidding me? You’ve got to be joking. Have you even watched E.T.? The emotion, the action, the friendship!” 

“There isn’t a single ghost in that movie!”

“There doesn’t need to be one, there’s an alien! A fucking alien!”

“An ugly, useless alien, for that matter!” Dustin bellowed and jabbed a finger in Lucas’ direction, causing the other boy to throw down the pillow he had been clutching. 

“Hold me back, Max!” But before Lucas could even get up to hurt Dustin, Max was already indeed holding him back. She shook her head in disapproval and voiced her opinion. 

“Both of you are wrong, Karate Kid is superior.” She insisted with an eye roll.

On cue, both boys quickly turned their heads to look at Max with a disgusted look. As if it had been planned out, both began speaking out against Max. 

“Are you kidding me?” 

“That’s a joke.”

Will had been watching the scene unfold with a laugh, Eleven beside him doing the same. Will felt a poking at his side, so he turned to face Eleven as she leaned in to whisper something. 

“Can we suggest Sixteen Candles? I think Nancy could have it. And we could tell them how much we like that movie?” She questioned. Her tone of playfulness indicated she meant no harm, but Will flushed with embarrassment as he imagined his friend’s reaction to learning he liked such a girly movie. He didn’t want to risk humiliation. 

“No, no. Let’s let them pick, it’s more polite Plus, I think Nancy’s out with Jonathan, we wouldn’t want to go through her things without her here.” Eleven nodded and looked in the direction of the basement stairs. It must have been a simple reaction to the noise, because following the creak of the wooden floor, came Mike bearing snacks. Will’s eyes instantly darted to the chocolate bar being held between Mike’s long fingers. His mouth watered, at the chocolate, of course. Will knew it wasn't the best for his health, but God, did he love chocolate. It reminded him of when his mother would come home when he was younger, tired and overstressed, but she never forgot to bring him chocolate. It had quickly progressed to his favorite candy, if it even classified as one. Will kept his gaze glued on the bar as Mike made his way down the stairs and over to the friends. It was peculiar how Mike put down the rest of the snacks, such as bags of chips, candy, and bagged popcorn, but kept the chocolate to himself. Will sighed quietly, assuming his friend had brought the bar for himself. Will could respect that, but with disappointment. 

“Do we have a movie picked out yet?” Mike asked the group curiously. 

“No, and it’s because no one is admitting the Ghostbusters is the best movie ever made!” Dustin replied, waving the VHS tape in the air. Lucas mimicked the action with Mike’s E.T. tape. 

“Mike, will you please tell Dustin we’re going to watch E.T.?” 

“No! We’re gonna watch The Karate Kid, right Mike?” Max’s tone was threatful, as if she wasn’t afraid to beat Mike to the pulp if he disagreed. The poor Wheeler boy looked terrified for his life, watching his three friends scarily plead him for his agreement. They were scooting closer to him, circling like predators trapping in their prey. Eleven must have felt a little bad, because suddenly her voice piped up from Will’s side. 

“Why… Why don’t we watch Gremlins?” 

Everyone turned to look at her, and Mike, taking advantage that the eyes were finally off him, quickly made his way to grab the Gremlins VHS tape. He almost tripped on the carpet by how fast he ran trying to get to the tape that was on the table. Will assumed he was scared that halfway he’d get tackled by Max or something. 

“Great idea! Everyone on board?” Mike said a little too nervous, already taking the tape out of its container. There was a course of three mumbles from Lucas, Max, and Dustin. But that was enough for Mike. He quickly nodded and put the tape into the player. Will and Eleven looked at each other and burst into a fit of giggles at everything that had just happened, earning them a glare from Mike. It didn’t last long though, before he was a giggling mess as well. 

Mike took his place in the empty spot on the couch next to Will. The arrangement felt… nice. Dustin was on one end, with Lucas next to him, Max leaning on his shoulder, Eleven next to her, then Will, and then Mike on the other end. They passed around snacks throughout the movie, laughing at how weird the Gremlins looked. Max and Eleven threw popcorn at the main character when he did exactly what he wasn’t supposed to do, everyone laughed at their annoyance. This was when Will heard a soft voice beside him.

“Hey, do you want this?” 

Will looked away from the movie and settled his gaze on the chocolate bar from earlier, in Mike’s hands, being offered to him.

“Thank you…” Will replied bashfully, taking the bar. He dismissed how warm Mike’s fingers were as they touched. 

“Just remembered you liked it.” He said with a grin.

Will felt his heart pulse speed at Mike’s smile, and gave one back before turning back to the movie. He quietly unwrapped the treat. This had to be one of his favorite chocolates he had ever had, Will decided as he took the first bite. Not just because it tasted amazing, because it really did, but because of who it came from. He beamed to himself as he ate his chocolate and enjoyed the movie. 

***

After the film, and a deep discussion on how the Gremlins could have been formed into a helpful army, the kids settled into their positions to sleep. Dustin and Eleven put their sleeping bags next to each other, because Eleven was the only one who could stand Dustin’s nonstop rambling about his girlfriend, Suzie. Lucas and Max were huddled up together on one end of the couch, quietly talking about plans they had for when Lucas returned from camp. Mike had offered Will the other end of the couch, but being the way he was, Will let Mike take it. They went back and forth for a little, trying to get the other to take the spot, but Will was insistent. Will set up his sleeping bag across the room from Eleven and Dustin, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. After a good twenty minutes went by with Dustin and Eleven talking, Lucas whispering to Max, and Mike occasionally entering both conversations, Will eventually drifted into sleep. 

Even though time isn’t something the brain usually has a grasp on while unconscious, Will could tell he hadn’t been asleep long when he randomly woke up with a gasp. The room was pitch black, aside from the sliver of light coming from the staircase. This signifying it wasn’t morning, obviously. No one was talking though, contrasting the environment when he fell asleep. It must’ve been at least two hours after he went to bed, meaning it was certainly somewhere around two in the morning. There was a bundle of anxious nerves in Will’s stomach, and he felt unsteady. As if something was wrong, and he was the only one who knew about it. He couldn’t be in this room, he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t be here. He would go get a glass of water and attempt to avoid a calamity. Will tried his best to not fumble too much as he squirmed out of his sleeping bag. With each step he took, it as if the weight he put down with his foot was linked to the pressure that increased on his chest. After just a few seconds, which actually felt like hours to Will, he had reached the staircase. The sliver of light was coming from the basement door that had been left slightly ajar earlier. For whatever reason that was, Will was grateful. He attempted to lightly tread on the wooden steps, making sure the noise didn’t wake anyone. It would be selfish of him to disrupt anyone’s slumber, especially for something as stupid as this, a dumb panic attack. His sweaty palms tightened his grip on the stair railing as he finally reached the top of the staircase. As he pushed the door open, he expected to finally be able to breathe normally, but the only thing Will was given was disappointment. He brought himself to the kitchen and couldn’t reach for a glass. He wished he could though, his throat was starting to hurt from how dry it felt. But Will couldn’t risk it, not with the way his hands were shaking. He tried to think, try to find out what was wrong, why this was happening. But Will immediately regretted doing so, it was as if trying to find the problem was opening a gateway to thinking of everything he had ever done wrong. The blood pounded in his ears louder than he thought possible, echoing each mistake Will could possibly conjure up. 

You know your friends hate you, right? They’re only nice to you now because they feel bad. They feel bad that you had to move out to some town where now even fewer people know who you are. You’re basically invisible now, oh wait, you always have been. 

His heart thudded in his chest to such an extent that Will was convinced it was going into overdrive. This was it, he thought, he was going to die in this kitchen. He was going to lose it and die solely with his thoughts. Will put his back against the nearest wall and let himself sink into the floor. He sat down and brought his knees up to his chest, feeling the tears begin to stream down his cheeks. Perhaps it was the echo of his own voice in his head, the thudding of his heart, or maybe it was the way his breathing was the only thing he could hear, but either way, Will hadn’t heard the footsteps approaching the kitchen. He had only noticed someone was there when he heard his name being called.

“Will?”

The boy looked up and saw Mike, with his eyes wide and mouth agape. Before Will could say anything, Mike was rushing over to his aid. All he could do was watch as Mike sat down across from him and pulled him into a hug. He smelled like laundry detergent, clean and flowery. His shirt must be freshly washed, Will thought. The smell provided as a small distraction for his current state. Yet once again, anxiety found itself back to Will as he quickly clutched Mike’s shirt in a hug. He didn’t want to freak out Mike, but it didn’t seem like Mike was too bothered. All he did was bring WIll in closer and whisper, “Hey… it’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay.” 

Will felt so bad, he must have been so loud that he woke Mike up all the way down in the basement. How selfish. 

“T-Tell me w-where we are.” Will cried softly. Mike slowly pulled back from the hug and looked into Will’s eyes, which were full of water. 

“What?” Mike looked confused, concerned as if he hadn’t heard WIll correctly. Will bit his lip nervously and repeated himself.

“Tell m-me… where we are. And w-who you a-are…” Will’s voice cracked, and he struggled to speak between sobs. Mike did what he was told nonetheless. 

“We’re in my kitchen… in my house. I’m Mike Wheeler.” 

As soon as he heard the words, Will made his mind repeat the sentence over and over again. He wasn’t in danger, nothing was wrong. He was safe. He was in Mike’s kitchen, in his house, and with Mike. Mike Wheeler. His hair was messy, all over the place, and his eyes were tired. His lips were pressed, and knuckles were white. Will didn’t say anything, he just kept studying his friend. He made himself analyze everything about him, shoving any other intrusive thoughts out of his head. Mike must have noticed his words had helped, because he suddenly continued. 

“I’m Mike Wheeler. And you… you’re Will Byers. And we’re on the floor of my kitchen. And you’re my best friend.” 

The title sent a wave of peace through Will, his breathing seemed to slowly calm down. He mentally counted his inhales and exhales, all while Mike stared. After a minute had gone by, Will finally felt decently recovered, and sighed at the realization of having to explain himself to Mike. He looked at Mike and tried to come up with a decent explanation as to what happened, it would have been simpler if Will understood the situation fully. Unfortunately, he did not. He struggled to find the right words for a few seconds, so Mike interrupted him.

“It’s fine, I get it.” Will knew, in reality, Mike didn’t actually get it, there was a small chance he ever would. But Will gave him a smile anyway, just to show gratitude. Without warning, Mike stood up. Will got nervous Mike was leaving him, just at the fear of being alone already again. 

“Let’s get something for you to eat, okay? I bet you feel exhausted after that.” 

Will nodded, noticing that he was in fact a bit hungry now. Mike offered Will a hand to lift him up and he did so. As Mike rummaged through the pantry, Will helped himself to a glass of water. He felt a bit weak, but it was safer now than when his hands were shaking earlier. As the glass filled, Will stopped the sink and took a step back bringing the cup to his mouth. He was parched, he had been for a while. Mike came back over with a granola bar and shrugged. 

“It’s the best I could find. I kinda raided the snacks earlier for the movie, I hope this is okay.” 

“It’s perfect, thank you.” He said as he set down his glass and took the granola bar into his hand. Mike leaned against the sink, doing the same as Will. They stood there in silence, the only sound filling the room being Will unwrapping the snack’s package. Eating helped, he felt a bit better already. Once he was about halfway done, he finally spoke up. 

“I don’t know what happened.” 

Ripping his eyes off of the kitchen ground, Mike looked to Will. 

“What?”

“I don’t know what caused that. I just woke up and I was panicking.” 

“Did you have a bad dream or something?” Mike asked him.

“No… no. Just happened.”

“Just happened,” Mike repeated, with concern in his voice. “But you’re okay now, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m sorry if I woke you up. I tried my best to be-”

Mike cut him off with a weak chuckle, “It’s fine, Will. You were more important, You are more important.” Will didn’t know what to say, so he just looked in Mike’s eyes, searching for pity. There was none, only the gleam of affection. His cheeks flushed, Will diverted his eyes. He was afraid the boy next to him would study his just like he had just done to Mike’s. He was afraid Mike would see the only thing in Will’s eyes, admiration. 

***

In the morning, everyone seemed to wake up around the same time, with the exception of Mike and Will. After the fiasco of the night, they had talked for a little bit of simple, lighthearted topics, and then soon returned to their sleeping spots. 

Will had the luck of being awoken by Max, who told him that Lucas had wanted to pour water on him, but chose a better victim. Will sat up just in time to see Lucas approaching Mike, who was unfortunately asleep, with a glass of water. Had he had more energy, Will might have called out Mike’s name, or taking the fall for him. But all Will could do was watch as Lucas poured the cup and Mike’s eyes flew open. The room erupted with laughter, and Mike swore out Lucas. It was playful comments, there was one threat Mike made about killing Lucas in his sleep, though. When everyone finally calmed down, the concept of hunger reached their minds. So without missing a bet, the group of teens made their way up the stairs and into the kitchen. 

There was a bit of a ruckus to decide who would cook, but they finally boiled down to a solution. Lucas had sworn he knew how to make the best food out of all of them, saying he had experience from watching his mother kill the cooking game for years. No one protested, they all knew Mrs. Sinclair was certainly an amazing chef, they all just hoped Lucas had inherited those exact genes. And luckily for them, he proved himself well. Not too long afterward, the entire kitchen smelt of bacon and pancakes. Everyone filled their plates, some more than others. Dustin’s was the biggest though, declaring he was a growing boy who needed his energy to anyone who giggled at his amount of food. They could have eaten at the dining table, like normal people, but it was collectively decided the living room was a much more fun idea. So they piled on the couch, some on the floor, and began eating the delicious food. There were small bits of banter that filled the air, floating above. The conversation moved smoothly, like water in a river. It was nice enough to make Will forget he would be leaving soon. The ringing of a phone that interrupted the debate over which Ghostbuster was better acted as a snap back into reality for him. Everyone seemed to stare as Will got up, and started to walk to the phone. He didn’t look back, but he could feel the sadness in their eyes. With a gentle sigh, he picked the phone off the wall and brought it to his ear. 

“Hello, it’s Joyce.” His mother’s familiar voice buzzed.

“Hey, mom. It’s me, Will.”

“Oh, hi!” He couldn’t see her, but the smile on her face was evident through her tone. “I was just calling to let you know we’ll be passing by in about ten minutes.” 

Will scrunched up his eyebrows, “You packed my stuff?” 

“I kinda had to, sweetie. We don’t have time to waste and I-” Her nervous rambling was an indication of stress. She must have had done a lot that morning already, and knowing his mother, Joyce had probably taken up the night shift at work the same day. He felt apologetic and sympathetic for his mother. 

“It’s okay, thank you, really. I’ll let Eleven know and we’ll get ready.”

“Alright, see you soon!” Joyce cheerfully replied and hung up. 

Will waited for a second, before setting the phone back. It was time to return to what his life actually was. Will had maybe one or two school friends, but none who would hang out with him out of school. He knew this summer was going to be painful, his mother would probably force him to go out and make friends. Will tried his best to not be annoyed, but he disliked how easily people liked Eleven. She had friends, the ones who actually wanted to see her when she didn’t have the math answers, unlike Will. She had offered many times to welcome him into the group she hung out with, but he always declined. Would it be nice to accept the offer, and make some actual friends finally? Yeah, it would be really nice. But Will didn’t anyone to think of him as some charity case, especially Eleven. He was prepared to spend the whole summer at home, doing nothing but maybe writing and some art. But Will hates how easily he accepted things the way they were. He really wanted things to change this next school year, he wanted to be known. And in a good way. Popularity was a foreign concept to the boy, but something he secretly desired. Who didn’t? As someone who had spent so long in the shadows, and only brought out when it was time to get bullied, Will wanted to be liked. He wanted to be the person everyone wanted to be friends with. And maybe that hadn’t been possible here in Hawkins, maybe any chance of that happening had been thrown away the day his father began cursing at him, being ashamed of Will, calling him a disappointment. Maybe he had thrown away any chance of being popular the day he came back from the Upside Down, when people started to call him Zombie Boy. And even when that stopped, it was as if Will was too deep into the unknown to be pulled out. Because of that, he didn’t even bother the past school year. It was an utter joke, that’s what it was. He was going to be someone in High School, he had to be. 

Will gulped as he pushed the phone back into the wall and made his way back to the living room, Eleven gave him a frown when he appeared back in the room. His jaw felt tight, as he thought about his revelation.

“Ten minutes, El.” He said with a sad smile, looking up to everyone else. The room fell into a sorrowful silence. Eleven simply nodded and got up, heading toward the basement to probably grab her things. Will began to follow her, catching Mike’s eye as he turned. 

He entered the basement, seeing El already folding up his sleeping bag. She’s fast, he thought. 

“Do you think… we need these friends?” Eleven’s question made Will uneasy, and a little sick. She sounded so interested in his answer, too. As if she had some decision to make off of it.

“What do you mean?” He asked her, putting his hands into his pockets.

“We can’t keep driving here. No one tells me, but I know that gas is a lot of money. Expensive, right?”

“For this distance, yes.” Will sat on the couch, the same one that had been down here since he was a little kid. Eleven bit her lip before asking her next question.

“And… we just come here for you and me, right? Jonathan can drive here by himself anytime and so can Nancy.” 

Will hoped Jonathan planned on telling Joyce his plan soon, because he didn’t think before telling Eleven. “Jonathan’s going to move to New York, with Nancy I think.”

She broke out a grin, “Really? That is so cool!”

“Don’t tell mom.” 

Both of them fell stunned at the title, this being the first time Eleven had ever been referred to as a child of Joyce’s. Will gave her a smile, one trying to indicate he meant what he said.

“Okay,” she breathed lightly. “I don’t think we should come here as often. Or… anymore.” He cringed at her words, but knew she meant well, she always did. Eleven reminded him of Nancy sometimes, as odd as it was. 

“Because you don’t want to be a bother?”

“Yes, because I don’t want to be that. A bother.” 

He thought it was because Will had spent his whole life not wanting to be a bother. He had grown up with selfless manners and knew where Eleven was coming from. His friends would be fine without them anyways, they all seemed to do well when they were gone. The chemistry wasn’t disrupted too much, appearing so that it was just a nice addition when the two of them were there. Eleven’s presence would be missed more than his own, there was no doubt about that. But she was the one who had brought this idea to life, so maybe that didn’t matter to much to her. He had been so certain of leaving who he was in Hawkins behind anyways, just a few minutes ago. The universe had to have heard him, and was now giving him this chance. He could officially leave it all behind, officially become someone else. And it wasn’t just him being crazy or irrational, it was Eleven being caring. He would miss his friends, and he couldn’t just drop them without a thought. But in reality, there wasn’t really anything else he could do. He and Eleven could try to stretch out their departure of friendship for a long period of time, thinning out communication slowly. It would hurt them less, for sure. It could probably feel natural after a while, like it was what he was supposed to do. They would call less, stop visiting, tell Joyce they just felt busier. They could make themselves grow out these friendships, this place. Lucas and Max were well occupied with each other, Dustin was already good at making other friends. And Mike… Mike was a natural at everything. He didn’t need anything. 

A small part within Will stung at that thought. As much as he hated to admit it, as much as he knew it went against his self-respect, he wished Mike needed him. He wished he could tell Mike he and Eleven were going to move on and Mike would beg him not to. That Mike would hold onto Will like he had done last night, and pleaded to not be subjected to Will's absence. But Will wasn’t stupid, he knew he wasn’t of that importance, forgetting what Mike had told him last night. So Will looked into Eleven’s eyes, and he thought about what could happen. And how they could in fact, leave it all behind. And with a deep breath, he finally spoke. 

“Alright. Let’s not be a bother.” 

And that’s exactly what they did. 

After packing everything up, Eleven and Will climbed up the stairs to bid all their friends' goodbyes. Will hoped no one would notice how Eleven’s eyes were glazed with sadness, he also hoped his weren’t the same. If it hadn’t been for Eleven, the group would have said goodbye without hugging, because that’s what they did last time. But last time wasn’t the same as now. There wouldn’t be a next time to hug, so Eleven grabbed Dustin first, and pulled him into a hug. He was a little surprised at first, but laughed and brought his arms around the girl. Max watched, and must have taken note because she grabbed Will by the wrist and brought him into a hug as well. She smelled of peppermint candy, which was weird. Will had never seen her eat a peppermint in all the time of knowing her. Then Lucas came and gave Will a hug, him too smelling of peppermint. There must have been some sort of connection, but Will’s mind was too clouded to make it. Max had made her way over to Eleven, holding her tightly and whispering things to her. Only they could hear their own conversation, but everyone heard the giggles. Lucas took Max’s place with El, as Dustin came to Will, giving him a hug as well. Dustin’s lack of collarbones in his hugs felt different to Will, but not bad. Because of the height, Dustin’s collar bones would have probably interrupted the hug. It was nice. Over Dustin’s shoulder, Will could see Mike shyly open his arms to Eleven, and her giving him a warm smile. A year ago it would have pained Will to watch that happen, but it was different now. Eleven and Mike weren’t something to be paired, they hadn’t been in a while, but this was the end. This was Eleven’s goodbye, unknowingly to Mike, acceptance and true forgiveness. Their hug was brief, but seemed friendly. Dustin let got of Will and walked over to Lucas, while Mike made his way over to Will. 

This was it, here was the boy that Will wished would grab his hand and tell him to not leave. But how could Will expect Mike to do something he didn’t even know about? So instead, Will stepped forward and tugged Mike close into him. He let himself be engulfed in Mike’s smell, it being the same clean laundry smell as before. Seeing as it was the same shirt from his scene in the kitchen, it made sense. Mike brought his arms tight around Will, but not to a degree where it hurt. The height difference was most obvious now, Mike being about a head taller. 

Try to not attach yourself, let go. Let go. Move on, just finally do it.

Usually, the voice in his head told Will things he would believe in a second. Things about him not belonging, things about him not mattering. But when it told him to let go of Mike, he couldn’t. Will’s breath shuddered silently, and he felt his throat tightened. He couldn’t cry, not now. He’d look like an absolute baby. And he couldn’t explain himself either, Eleven would kill him. So he took a deep breath in and finally let go of Mike. Mike looked down at him, with an unreadable smile. It expressed no emotion, it was just… there. That’s what Will had to do in this moment, he had to have no emotion. He had to just be there. 

As if right on cue, Eleven cleared her throat and pointed to the window. Will turned his head and was met with Jonathan’s car, visibly loaded with their bags from the hotel. Will looked back to Eleven and she gave him a nod. They all once more said goodbye, stating when they’d see each other next. It pierced Will in the heart when Eleven lied right through her teeth about their next meeting. Mike walked the two out his front door, and waved as they got into the car. Will waved back, his eyes darting around the scenery, forcing himself to analyze and remember every detail. Every last detail of the last time his eyes rested on Mike Wheeler. And after a few seconds, he got into the car, and stared at the floor. 

***

Jonathan told Joyce about quitting his job and moving to New York with Nancy in the car, about halfway into the ride. He apparently had discussed the plan with Nancy the first week of their visit in Hawkins. Nancy would look into jobs as a journalist in New York, and would get a small side job until then. With their money combined, the two had enough for renting a small studio for a while. Jonathan must have been expecting disapproval, because his mouth was in a gasp as Joyce grinned. She made him pull over so she could give him a huge hug. Things were going to be okay, Will thought, even if the candle had finally melted into the puddle. 

***

The Present, 1989.

Hot bottled water was absolutely disgusting, yet it was all Will had with him at the moment. So sighing, he uncapped the bottle and took a swing. He decided he would stop at the first gas station he saw on the way to Hawkins. But until then, he would have to make do. At an attempt to make things a little better, Will changed the radio station. The intro to Nothin’ But a Good Time by Poison played, and Will laughed to himself. He grinned as he turned the volume up higher, letting the band take him out of his agitated state. 

"Now Listen  
Not a dime, I can't pay my rent  
I can barely make it through the week  
Saturday night I'd like to make my girl  
But right now I can't make ends meet,"

Forgetting there was the possibility of cars driving by and hearing him, Will sang along, belting out the bridge. As the song continued, he went over his plan for his stay in Hawkins. Will had brought more money than needed, tapping into an emergency bank account. He would stay at some hotel, whatever he could find, and he would venture throughout the town. He wondered if he would be easily recognizable, then rolled his eyes. The people of Hawkins had barely bat their eyes at Will when he was younger, and now he looked completely different. As if they’d remember who he was. But that was okay, better than okay, actually. Will took a second to stop thinking, and return to singing the song. 

"Don't need nothin' but a good time  
How can I resist  
Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time  
And it don't get better than this,"

Tapping his finger to the beat, he reminded himself that he and his family had left for a reason. But here he was, alone, driving his car with all his belongings in the trunk, back. Will had offered to bring Eleven, but she told him she would rather spend her last summer before university with her friends, doing what normal young adults do, instead of going back to their hometown. She had been teasing him, of course. But he paid no mind. He well understood what he was doing was weird. He could have been doing what Eleven was doing, don’t get him wrong. Will had tons of friends, more than necessary. And to say people wanted to hang out with him was an understatement. It was the sophomore year where he realized if he wanted to be noticed, wanted to be liked, he had to give some effort. And it turns out, people were capable of liking him. And they liked him a lot. And yeah, hanging out with friends and making the most of his summer before going to university in California was a great idea. He was shocked his mother was letting him go to school so far away in the first place, but Joyce told him she wanted whatever he wanted. And Will wanted to chase after his dreams of being an artist. So when school in California liked his admission portfolio, he understood he was on the right track. 

Hawkins had always been on the back of his mind, after he never came back. He and Eleven had done as they planned, all that time ago. They made contact minimal, and eventually just fell out with their friends. Some days it had been easy, where they barely even thought about their childhood. But other days it was hard, those were the days where Will would stay up at night, and sometimes even cry a little bit. Just because he had to keep trying harder and harder to remember what his friends’ voices sounded like. Lucas’ was smooth like honey, but deep. Dustin’s always sounded like he was smiling, even if he wasn’t. Max’s was locked in a permanent tone of sass. And Mike’s… Mike’s had a bit of rasp, but in an attractive way. Will always repeated these phrases to himself when he got worried that they were slipping his mind. He wouldn’t let them slip his mind, not ever. 

That was why he had come back. He needed to see the place he never forgot before he moved across the country, before he once again became someone new. He needed a reminder, a new mark into his brain. 

And as Will drove past a big sign that read “WELCOME TO HAWKINS”, he knew he was doing the right thing.


	2. the start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's first day back in Hawkins is nothing he prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will be mentioning of homophobia in this chapter, along with a few slurs, just lonnie being a shitty dad basically.  
hopefully, eleven's love for her brother makes up for it!!

The hotel room door creaked as Will pushed it open, he disliked the noise, it hurt his ears. He would have to get used to it, nonetheless. 

Will let his eyes take in the scene before him, not too impressed but he wasn’t one to complain. There was a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, with a single navy duvet on top. Thank God it was summer, or else there would have been a risk of Will freezing to death during the night. Duvets only worked for him if there were warm blankets underneath, and there was a slim to none chance that was the situation at this hotel. 

To confirm his thoughts, Will walked over to the bed and lifted the first layer, revealing just the bed and confirming his previous idea. It was fine, it didn’t matter. At least there was a small television across from the bed, he already knew he would be spending a good amount of his time wasted on that. Will dumped his duffel bag and other carry-ons onto the bed, stretching after doing so. Will tried to get the knot out of his neck, one born at the cause of sleeping the wrong way overnight in the car. Turning his head to the side that hurt, his eyes landed on the hotel’s walls. They were a pasty shade of beige, looking old and plain. If it were possible for color to have undertones of emotions, sadness diffused from this one. Will worried that if he looked at the color for too long, he too would begin to feel upset. He didn’t want that happening, especially just arriving into town. 

In all the other times when staying in a hotel, Will took up the habit of not unpacking. It was easier to leave everything in his bag and then just pack up when it was time to leave. But this was different, he was staying for much longer, he hoped. Will moved over the drawer that held the television, and began opening up the cabinets. The whole unit was made of what appeared to be an oak type wood, Will noticed. He ran his finger along the surface, grateful there wasn’t a chance of splinters. He went over to the bed and brought his duffel bag over, unzipping it. Will started to neatly put his clothes away, refolding anything that needed to be. 

His style had improved tremendously over the years, adapting more of the style Jonathan carried through his teen years, with a few bits of his own taste. It helped that Jonathan was more than happy to pass down his clothing as well. Items ranging from corduroy pants, jeans, bomber jackets, plain t-shirts. But there were a few items of clothing that Will secretly liked more than others. The ones of softer colors, like his baby pink t-shirts, and his light blue sweater. They had a gentler fabric and felt nice against Will’s skin. He tried to wear these articles sparsely though. Sometimes when he wore a shirt of a more feminine color, he would get stares. And even though Will had gained a thicker skin throughout the years, and was more headstrong, he still couldn’t handle homophobia completely. 

Slurs, comments, and remarks reminded him of his father. The way Lonnie used to call him a queer, and… and a fag. The way his own father called him a fairy boy, later to be called the same title by bullies in school, and the way his father would force him to play baseball, going against Will’s wishes. How Lonnie would scream and shout at Will, when he didn’t play well, not understanding that Will was simply trying his best. He was always trying his best for his father, wanting to impress him, wanting to be the boy his father had truly wanted. It didn’t help when tears would trickle down Will’s cheeks, he’d get yelled at for being too emotional. 

“Only the queer boys cry! I won’t have a queer for a son!” 

As Will put a pair of socks into the drawer, he realized he had begun to cry at the memories. Tears forming without his own knowledge streamed down his face. His hands felt cold as he leaned forward and put his head down in his own grasp, he would let himself be emotional right now, in the safety of the hotel room. 

That’s when Lonnie gave up on baseball and put a gun into Will’s hands. 

Will had started by watching his father try to teach Jonathan how to use a gun many times, staring in bewilderment. He didn’t like it when Lonnie shot at passing rabbits, making himself an example of what his boys should be doing. Lonnie would pass the gun to Will, and have him begin by shooting at cans, any passerby would have called Lonnie a lunatic, considering Will's young age. And once he had started to grow up, Will would silently become surprised as he learned that not every little boy had to learn how to shoot a gun at cans and bunnies. He never thought those rabbits deserved the harm, he didn’t think anyone deserved to be shot like that. But at the time, Will was only six, and thought he wasn’t being manly enough. 

He also thought Jonathan must have not been manly enough. 

Because for a while after his father made the older boy shoot a rabbit, Will swore he could hear his brother crying at night. 

But as the months went by, Will nor Jonathan were never manly enough. And soon, Lonnie had packed his bags and left the Byers family. For a while he blamed himself for his father leaving, Will thought maybe if he had been the son Lonnie was trying to make him, his dad would have stayed. But it wasn’t long until Jonathan sat Will down to debunk this belief. 

When he had moved, Will eventually told his mother, after a few months, of his sexuality. Maybe it was because he had finally gathered enough courage, or maybe it was because there was no longer the tainted town of Hawkins that had his father's shadow upon it to make him cower in fear. 

He didn’t know what to expect, nothing awful though. This was Joyce, one of the sweetest people he had ever met. So to be honest, Will wasn’t very surprised when all she did was bring him in for a hug and hold him. He nearly choked on his cereal the next morning though, when Joyce had asked him if he had a boyfriend of any kind. Will had also come out to a few very close friends at school, ones he knew he could trust. But on a larger retrospect, most thought Will was straight. 

Eleven was the most excited to learn of Will’s sexuality, she gushed about how they could now talk about boys together. Will gently reminded her that they had always talked about boys, and she just hadn’t noticed. Jonathan was the kind to treat him like nothing was different, giving him just a smile and moving on with their day. The support was nice, and comforting. 

Yet even now, years after Lonnie’s departure along with the abuse and oppression, Will still felt stings of pain when he heard the slurs he had come to associate with his father. 

Perhaps it was because of terror, or shame, but Will had made the choice to stop wearing his old short shorts, but he still kept some for when he was alone. They were comfortable, he wasn’t going to fully ditch them. Even if they did look a little dumb, especially his old red track shorts. He had vivid memories of when he wore those, hanging out with friends during the summer. He wore them most often, back when he was younger. He liked the way his legs looked in them, made him look more athletic than he actually was. There were very few times that girls looked at Will when he was younger, back here in Hawkins. But of all the times girls even looked his way, it was when he was wearing those shorts. That didn’t matter much though, whether girls looked his way or not. 

The voice at the back of his mind told Will that there were a few times he caught boys looking at him in those shorts, memories of when he would make eye contact with them, and they’d look away fire hydrant red. Will chuckled as he refolded the pair, and put them into the cabinet. He continued the task until he had emptied the entire duffle bag of clothing. Next, he brought his carry on of toiletries to the bathroom, ready to unpack there.

Will wondered if this is what it would feel like to unpack for college. The idea excited him. Will had seen what his dorm rooms looked like in lots of pictures, and the overall concept of university made him feel giddy with happiness. California was also known to be more accepting of how he was. He had done some research, learning about how there were even organizations for those who weren’t straight. There had even been an openly gay mayor elected a few years back… in 1983? Will couldn’t remember exactly, but it fascinated him. The idea of not having to hide who he was to anyone anymore made a wave of calmness go through his body. 

It was odd though, being so far away from his family. God, he’d be literally across the country from Jonathan. Though, his brother could always buy a plane ticket to visit him. 

Even after the years had gone by, Will’s amazement to his brother never faltered. Jonathan was now working for a big newspaper establishment, managing the area of photography. He made good money, and often sent some to Joyce, their mother. Things were well with Nancy, very well actually. Will thought about the phone call he had gotten about two months prior, from Jonathan. It was his brother telling him that he had plans to propose to Nancy soon. Will could hardly keep in his excitement. Nancy had always been so sweet to Will, on Christmas she’d send him a present, even though she really didn’t need to. Jonathan hadn’t proposed yet, to Will’s knowledge. 

Will leaned against the bathroom wall, pausing midway through his action of placing his hairbrush on the counter. He wondered if he’d ever get married. A few years ago, he had convinced himself he would have to marry a woman, and live a life that consisted of lies. He would have children he loved, but a wife he couldn’t be attracted to. He wouldn’t lead a life of happiness, but of a bluff. Gratefully, Will had come to terms with his sexuality. Now knowing he would never marry a woman, and he would rather be a bachelor until death if he had to. He would not force himself to a marriage where he didn’t truly love his partner, to a marriage where he wasn’t with a man. There was no need to hurt an innocent woman like that, tricking her into a situation where she believed she was loved. Will also knew he didn’t deserve to be a scam of a relationship, never feeling true love. An actual love, he deserved that, if anything. 

After about twenty minutes, Will had finally managed to get fully settled into the hotel room. His empty bags were in one of the empty corners, leaning up against the wall. He ate some leftover garlic fries from the diner he had stopped on the way from his drive, and at one point while watching the television, he felt tired out. He changed out of his yellow shirt from before and showered. He now stood in front of the bathroom mirror, with his lower half wrapped in a towel. 

Will’s breath disgusted even himself, cringing at every time he ran his tongue along his teeth and tasted the garlic. He needed to brush his teeth now, or he was sure he’d gag at that moment. 

Will went to grab his toothbrush, and let out a sigh. He didn’t see his toothpaste. Setting down the toothbrush, Will opened the bathroom cabinets, checking if he had absent-mindedly misplaced the product. Unfortunately, the young man finally came to the conclusion that he must have simply forgotten to pack toothpaste. He turned back to the sink and tried to rinse his mouth out with water, but there was no change. Will regressed into a worried state, trying to decide what to do. 

He couldn’t call it a night with the taste of garlic inhabiting his mouth, it was gross. 

An idea popped into his brain, as Will walked out of the bathroom and glanced over to the bedside table. The clock that rested upon it read 7:20. It wasn’t late to the extent where Will couldn’t make a quick drive to the nearest pharmacy. He would surely find toothpaste there, and maybe he would even lean toward purchasing mouthwash as well. Plus, if he remembered correctly, the sun didn’t set for about another hour here in Hawkins. Making his choice, Will walked over and grabbed an outfit to throw on. He settled for a blood-red sweater, along with black jeans.

The cold fabric of the jeans contrasted the warm shower Will had just emerged from, sending a shiver down his spine. The sweater was of a soft cashmere-like fabric, instantly calming Will’s goosebumps. 

He had a clear memory of when he had bought this sweater, it had been with Eleven. 

It was one of his many purchases during one of the sibling’s many mall trips. Though this had been his favorite purchase, and it had also been his favorite trip. When Will had turned sixteen, Eleven had begged him to have some sort of party or event. Perhaps if he wanted a reason to up his popularity, WIll had done so. But deep down, he knew he didn’t want anything big for such occasion. So after communicating this with El, she suggested they spend the day together, just having fun. Now that was something Will knew he would enjoy. They went to the mall, had lunch, shopped around, and smiled until their faces ached. It was one of the moments he experienced happiness at its highest. 

Will tugged on the sleeve of the sweater, smiling down at it fondly. 

He loved Eleven, he really did, and he was glad to have so many reminders of her around him. 

When he was fully closeted, scared, and alone, Eleven made him feel safest. She didn’t understand the concept of toxic masculinity, or what was considered gay for a male to do. Eleven didn’t bat an eye at Will when he was more than willing to brush her hair, or sing along to her favorite pop songs with her. She didn’t think anything was different when he would listen to her babble for hours on end about how attractive Ralph Macchio was. Or when Will wouldn’t protest when Eleven tried to put some makeup on him. 

The day Will had to explain to her what homophobia was, and how he had to act a different way in public compared to the closed walls of their house, Eleven teared up. Maybe it was because, over the years, WIll had become well familiar with homophobia, but he hadn’t expected Eleven to cry. When he had finished explaining how he could get hurt, or harassed for who he was, she did the unexpected…. She apologized. Eleven sat there, across from him, apologizing nonstop. Saying she was so sorry that people were so mean, and that she couldn’t fix it all. Tears stained her cheeks, like how her rambled apologies stained the air. Will didn’t know what to say, he just stared at her. 

He pondered how anyone could have such a big heart, how El could cry about people not accepting Will. How it appeared that she blamed herself, even though she had always been the most accepting person. 

Will promised himself he’d never forget the way his sister looked at him as he brought his hand to her cheek, and wiped away her tears. He should have been the one crying in this situation, he should be mourning the way he could be seen if he were to be his true self. Not Eleven. So he reassured her it was okay, and that one day everything would be okay. He told her she didn’t need to cry because soon he would be able to be himself. Will didn’t know if he was lying or not, and Eleven’s hatred of lies roamed into his mind. 

His chest ached at the thought of lying to her, but even he didn’t know if there would be a day where he wouldn’t feel the strikes of hatred for just… being him. It was the only way to put a halt to her tears though, to tell her that he would be alright one day. She promised to him that she would do anything to make him feel safe, whenever he needed it. That conversation had ended with Will thanking her, and asking her to just be cautious of how she spoke of Will in public. That was her second promise of that day. 

What brought him back to reality, was the awful taste of garlic on his tongue. Shrinking into himself out of disgust, Will returned to his mission of toothpaste. He put his sneakers on, grabbing a jean jacket on his way out. He had nearly forgotten to grab his car keys and wallet, pushing the hotel room door back open and walking to the bedside table. He mentally kicked himself for such a silly mistake, and walked back to the door. Now, he wasn’t completely sure where the nearest pharmacy was. He was on the other side of town compared to where he used to live, and he knew he wasn’t going to drive all the way to his old house just to be in a familiar environment. He decided he would just get in his car, and slowly make his way downtown, such being near and decently recognizable. And that’s exactly what he did. 

Will couldn’t have his car window down as he had it while driving earlier. The evening brought chilly winds that threatened Will’s immune system. A cold was the last thing he wanted right now, he hated being sick. Of course, he was stupid enough to forget toothpaste, a literal necessity. 

He rolled his eyes, stopping at a red light. 

The streets of Hawkins looked the same as they did three years ago, sparse of people but not empty. The population of Hawkins had always been at a lower count, making it one hell of a stereotypical small town. Everyone knew everyone, and was always in each other’s business. The town practically birthed mothers that fed on gossip. Those who would starve without knowing all the details about their neighbor. In a concern of safety, Eleven should have gotten out of this place much sooner. It had always been risky, people figuring out who she was and what she could do. Plus, it was just a toxic place overall. But as much as Will hated to admit it, it was home. Hatred and risk couldn’t cover the memories and sources of joy. 

As the light turned green, Will started driving once more. He slowly went down the streets downtown, scanning for a pharmacy. He loved to drive, preferred it over any other method of transportation. Sure, biking was cool when he was younger, but God, was driving cooler. The way his car moved smoothly, despite his model. And there wasn’t a radio on a bike, or windows to roll down. And with the absence of windows, Will couldn’t put his hand out and feel the wind between his fingers. No, on a bike he had to keep all fingers on the handlebar, unless he wanted to possibly crash into something. A car was like his own little bubble, emerging him in his own world. 

There it was, a few stores in front of him to his right, the pharmacy Will had been looking for. His very own saving grace. With a breath of relief, then wince at the smell, Will easily found a parking spot. Pushing the car door open, he was hit with the cold air. It took him a second to get used to it, the warmth of his car having a different condition. A little part of Will wished he had worn a hoodie instead of a sweater beneath this jean jacket. Or something heavier than a jean jacket. Stupid jean jackets, provide warmth for shit, Will thought to himself as he shut the car door and locked the vehicle. Stuffing the keys into his pants’ pocket, Will walked in the direction of the pharmacy. 

It was a lot warmer inside, to which Will was thankful. The store played old classical music, probably from some nonstop radio station. At a desire to waste no time, Will made his way in the direction to where he believed he’d find aisles for toiletries. The lighting in the building felt weird, adding onto the peculiar atmosphere. And Will swore there was a buzzing in his ear, coming from the roof above him.   
“I hate this,” He whispered to himself, scanning the shelves for toothpaste. 

The whole environment felt weird. He added this onto the list of places that felt like reality was altered. Abandoned parking lots, tops of roofs early in the morning, beaches at night, and now pharmacies that were empty. 

He just wanted to get his stuff and go. After finally passing the skincare aisle, Will found toothpaste. And luckily, mouthwash was on the opposite shelf. He didn’t come looking for a specific brand, so he picked up whatever. He then remembered that his breath was utterly awful, and there wasn’t a chance of him staying silent at the register. 

Will quickly walked over to the candy aisle, and grabbed a pack of gum. He made sure to grab mint, and opened it. Taking a piece between his fingers and closing the pack. He wasn’t stealing, of course not. He intended on paying for the pack as well. Just needed a piece of gum before he spoke to anyone. Deciding he had everything he needed, Will commenced his trip to the cashier. When he began to approach the checkout, he heard two voices. It was not a surprise that he hadn’t heard them before, the two were speaking incredibly softly. 

“Oh come on, Lola. You know how much I’d be grateful.” The voice was deep, even if the volume was hushed. It was smooth and silky, like honey, and belonged to a male. It sounded in a sense familiar, but oddly. Will stopped in his tracks, coming to a standstill before he was visible to the two at the register. He wasn’t ever one to eavesdrop, but something in his gut told him to. Leaning against the corner of an aisle, Will listened in on the conversation.

“I can’t… I can’t keep doing this for you.” a female’s voice came out quieter than the other’s, sounding worried and helpless. “You know that the age to purchase cigarettes went up, I’d get fired.” Will silently chuckled to himself, it was a teen trying to buy cigarettes, how adolescent. Will never found too much excitement in smoking. He had tried it once with his friends, he didn’t enjoy it much. 

“Please, I’m even paying in cash, Doll.” There was a beat of silence, then the guy continued, “Come on, just help me out.”

“I’m always helping you out, when are you gonna start helping me out?” The cashier purred. Her tone made Will cringe in discomfort, getting a clear sense of what was going on. He rolled his eyes and turned the corner. He didn’t want to be on the sidelines when the customer and the woman started to make out over the register. 

As he came into view, the cashier panicked, her face consisted of soft features, but striking blue eyes, and she presumably knew she couldn’t make a scene in front of another buyer. The boy she had been speaking too was very tall, and wore a beanie and his hood up. It covered any clear view that would identify him, which was smart, Will thought. Will stood at an appropriate distance from the checkout, one that signified he was ready but could wait for the person before him. He watched from the corner of his eye as the girl at the cashier glared at the guy. Will couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, becoming aware that his presence helped in the illegal exchange of cigarettes. He watched as the blonde scanned the cigarettes, taking the money from the tall man’s hands. The second she handed the cigarettes to him, he shoved them into his pocket. 

“I owe you, thanks.” He quietly let out, his voice lacking the friendly tone from before. It was obvious he had lost interest in the perky girl once he had gotten what he wanted, how typical. He turned and started to leave, prompting Will to walk over and place his things on the checkout. A flash of disappointed flickered on the cashier’s face. She started to scan Will’s items, but her focus was on her last customer. She stared at the man’s back, and when he was nearing the door, she breathlessly called out.

“You bet you do owe me, Mike!” 

At this moment, Will had been reaching for the cash in his pocket, stopping midway, his heart doing so too. His head whipped around, attempting to get one last glance at who shared the name of his old best friend, yet he failed. The one who went by Mike had already exited the store. An ache of curiosity bubbled within Will, as he quickly shoved over the money for the total. 

Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. 

Will’s brain had been rebooted, and Mike’s name was the only thing being submitted into the system. 

“Here’s your bag, have a nice day!” The girl told him, returning to her high-spirited state. Will muttered something to her, something that barely qualified as a reply, he was too busy grabbing his bag and getting the hell out of there. 

His pace sped up naturally, as he reached the front door and pushed it out. The tall figure, however, was nowhere to be seen. Will scanned the street in front of him, searching for the male. The sun had begun to set, coloring the sky a darker color. Will wouldn’t sleep that night if he went back to his hotel room without investigating who this was. He turned to his right, noticing more stores and clothing shops. An underage smoker wouldn’t risk being caught smoking, so he wouldn’t go to where there was more social activity. Will turned to his left, seeing the opening to what seemed to be an alley. 

“Bingo,” Will mumbled to himself. His clutch on his bag tightened, as he paced in the direction of the alley. He didn’t like how quiet it was in this direction, it irked him. Hawkins had a rather odd atmosphere, everything was unsettling. How nearly no one roamed the streets at sunset, or how the drop of a coin would probably echo throughout the street. It made Will queasy. He entered the alley, and for a split second his eyes couldn’t find a focal point. Thankfully, his vision focus and he saw the setting he had walked into. 

The alley wasn’t necessarily big, just not narrow. There were a few trash cans lined up against the wall, belonging to what Will could assume to be any neighboring businesses. There was a ladder a few feet off the ground as attached to the building on one side of the alley, Will could have reached it if he jumped, perhaps. Not the best if they were trying to get rid of teens who would climb up to the roof. Ultimately, Will's eyes settled on the flame from a lighter, being brought up to a cigarette. The person who held the lighter put it back into his hoodie’s pocket, and moved the cigarette between his lips. They took a long drag, one that an amateur smoker wouldn’t be able to take without coughing took. Will gazed in a trance-like state as the cloud of smoke elegantly left the man’s lips, immersing him. He looked like something out of a movie, and while smoking was an awful habit, Will felt like he couldn’t move as he watched the beautiful act. 

When the man lowered his cigarette and looked over to face Will, it was almost as if the Byers boy had been the one smoking. Because all at once, it suddenly felt like Will couldn’t breathe. 

Will was looking at someone who appeared to be around his age, with unforgettable warm brown eyes that shone, beautiful high cheekbones, and a jaw that looked like it was carved from the heavens themselves. He had a few curls poking out of his beanie, and even from a distance, Will could see the freckles that danced upon his skin. Retracting his gaze from the teen’s face, Will scanned his full body. He was tall, as previously observed, and kind of lanky. But not in a weird way, it fit him. He wore black jeans like Will’s but his were more tight on the body. Not as baggy, and flattering. His jeans went into a pair of what could be assumed to be a pair of Doc Martens, if he wasn’t so shocked, Will would chuckle at how popular those had been about five years ago. 

Will looked at the boy’s upper attire, even though he had already seen that. It was baggy outerwear, unlike his jeans. Differing from earlier, he had taken his hood off. A Baja hoodie was what he had on, no wonder he's buying cigarettes, Will thought. And finally, his beanie was of a beige color, something like the ugly paint on the walls of Will’s hotel. 

Will pulled himself back together, ending his period of analyzation, and stared back into the boy’s face. He knew those eyes, those freckles, those lips. 

Will used to watch the stars spin in those brown eyes. 

Will used to count those freckles. 

And lastly, he used to stare at those lips, wishing to have his on them. 

“Mike,” Will choked out, his hands trembling. 

“Will?” His voice came out calm but with an underlying tone of panic, something Will hadn’t heard yet, not at the pharmacy. It was still him, though. Even if his voice had gotten much deeper, now that Will knew it was Mike, the fact was undeniable. Will could have cried right there and then, memories flooding into his brain. Years of pining after Mike, years of staring up at him in amazement. And here he was smoking in an alley, still managing to look gorgeous even so. It was so Mike-like to be doing something that Will would have usually associated to be gross and tacky, but turn it into something that made Will’s heartbeat speed up. Will needed to choose to focus on one thing to be able to speak, or else he would just start rambling all the nonsense from his brain and look like a fool. His mouth sadly chose without consulting him, though. 

“You smoke now?” He sputtered, watching Mike’s expression change from shocked, to a colder slate. 

“You talk to your friends now?” The remark cut into Will’s skin, making him flinch in pain. It didn’t help that Mike’s voice had an edge to it, indicating he meant every word. For a second, Will was speechless. He quickly put words together. 

“I’m-” 

Mike didn’t care though, cutting him off instantly. “You’re what? You’re sorry? What, you’re here to apologize?” Mike let out a laugh, but Will could tell he didn’t find anything funny. The laugh bellowed anger, a scary state of frustration. Will kept quiet, for Mike but also his own sake. “You can’t just walk back into people’s lives and expect them to just automatically let you back in. That’s absolute bullshit, Will. And you know it.” 

Will wished Mike would slow down, would stop spitting words at him like he was throwing daggers. Will hadn’t even said anything about walking back into Mike’s life. But following him into an alley probably did lead to that idea. He wanted to just explain himself, enlighten Mike on everything that had happened. 

“Mike, can you stop? You haven’t let me speak at all and you’re acting like you just know everything!” 

“And I don’t? I don’t know that you and Eleven packed up your bags and left us all here? Left me? You were my best friend, Will! What the fuck?” Mike spoke wildly, with hand gestures as his words flew into the air. He finally stopped moving, and looked at Will with wide eyes, breathless and lip trembling. 

Will owed him an explanation, he owed Mike a lot of things. Mike was right, his best friend had left him. And no matter what reasoning Will had, it wouldn’t diminish the result of his leaving. The rips in Mike’s jeans, the lit cigarette held between his long fingers, and the way his eyes darted from one place to another, begging for something to give him an answer. This wasn’t the Mike Will used to know. This wasn’t the leader of the pack, head held up high and aspirations bright. This Mike looked broken, damaged, and rung out. Like someone had taken him and put him through so much pain, only the hollowed-out case of who he was once remained. 

You did this, Will told himself, Probably not all of it, but a good part of it. 

“That’s not what happened, there’s more.” He meant to have his voice come out stern and strong, but Will couldn’t help the voice crack of emotion that managed to make its way in his sentence. “You don’t… You don’t know the full story. You don’t know how my mother’s struggle, or how this town made me feel, or El’s awareness. You barely know anything.” 

Mike must have heard the truthfulness behind Will’s words, because he looked to the ground with a look of defeat on his face. A few seconds went by before Mike looked up. When he did, he didn’t say anything. No words were exchanged between the two young men as they stared each other down. Will wondered if Mike was analyzing his appearance, like he had done to the other before. He wondered if Mike was registering Will’s familiar attributes, thinking about how much he had changed. He wondered if Mike maybe found him more attractive than before… The thought made Will hate himself a little. He couldn’t be hung up on Mike Wheeler, not after three years of working on who he was as a person. He pushed the thoughts aside and watched as Mike took another long inhale from his cigarette. When he exhaled, he did it in the opposite direction of Will’s face, an action Will found himself grateful for. Will didn’t understand if Mike wasn’t replying out of anger, or if he truly didn’t know what to say, so Will spoke up instead. 

“Let me tell you everything, in a calmer state, okay?” 

Mike shuffled on his feet, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His stance read hesitant, in Will’s eyes. He didn’t blame Mike. Will could try, but not succeed, in trying to put himself in Mike’s shoes. Imagining being ghosted by his best friend, having nothing explained. Something in Will wished he had told Mike what was going to happen three years ago. Just to let him know that Will wasn’t leaving him for no reason, to let him know this wasn’t a plan of desertion but one of simplicity for life. But he hadn’t done so at the time because as much as Mike would have tried to deny it now, Will knew Mike would have stopped him. He could tell Mike all of that now, if Mike would only agree to listen. Will didn’t know what he would do if his offer of justification was declined, would he even stay in town? He had just gotten here today, but Mike’s lack of acceptance could be enough to drive Will far away from this place. The way Mike stared at him made Will question if that’s exactly what would happen. 

Finally, Mike took his last hit from his cigarette and threw it on the ground. Smearing it with his foot, Mike cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, let’s go talk.” 

Mike was already on the move when Will processed his words, “Wait, where?” 

“I know a diner,” Mike said, glancing back at Will.

“Do I need my car? We can use it.” Will gestured back over to his vehicle. This brought forward a light laugh from Mike, making Will’s cheeks obtain tint of pink. 

“Oh Will, don’t you know that walking is the best way to get around?” Will heavily disagreed in his head as Mike continued, “Plus, it isn’t too far. No need to give up that parking spot.” 

Will wanted to bicker, wanted to tell Mike there wasn’t a need to keep the parking spot, few cars were on the roads anyways. And it was cold, he didn’t want to be walking to a diner in which the location wasn’t specific. But he wasn’t allowed to get a say in this, he knew he wasn’t. So with a huff of reluctance, Will gave Mike a nod and began to follow him. 

Mike had been correct, fortunately. The diner hadn’t been more than a five-minute walk away, it was an unfamiliar restaurant. Mike must have been able to read the confused look on Will’s face, as he explained the diner wasn’t more than two years old. It didn’t have a particularly new appearance though, but maybe that was the theme the owners went for. As they got closer to the front door, Will noticed how he had to keep reminding himself that Mike’s stride was larger than his own. Will had never been technically short, he just wasn’t tall. Mike looked like he was six feet… one inch? Around that, probably. It was astounding, but Will had always known his friend would be one of the taller ones. Will himself stood at around five feet and eight inches, it was fine. It mirrored his brother’s height at his age. Just meant he had to try to keep up with Mike. 

Will didn’t know how to react when Mike held the door open for him, with a sly grin. Sure looked pleased with himself for someone who had been yelling at Will in an alley just a few minutes ago. Will muttered a thanking, and walked into the diner. It was prettier on the inside compared to the exterior. There were pink booths lined up against the wall, and across there were tables with tops made of what seemed to be plastic. It was a… retro look. Something seemingly out of a film, where adults wouldn’t frequent. It seemed like Mike was a frequent though, by the way he shot a waitress a smile and led Will over to a booth. 

Will tried to picture Mike in this place, not the Mike he used to know, but the one in front of him. 

Will conjured up an image of Mike sitting in one of these booths, with girls endlessly around him, giggling and listening in on one of his stories. He thought about Mike ordering a chocolate milkshake, and dipping a french fry in the drink. A playful smirk on his lips, as he listened to the old music the diner played. It seemed like Mike’s element. 

They slid into seats across from one another, Will quickly picking up the menu the waitress dropped off as a distraction. He stared at the meal offers they had, thinking about how he actually wasn’t quite hungry at all. He had already told himself he had eaten his last thing for the day, and no longer had any appetite to satisfy. He still scanned the menu, utilizing it as something to look at instead of Mike. They had sides such as fries, fruit salads, veggies, and much more. And costs weren’t up that high either. The pictures that were presented of their full plates looked pleasant, ranging from burgers to sandwiches. This place is actually pretty nice, Will thought to himself. He made a mental note to remember the diner and come when he was actually hungry. 

Flipping the menu’s page, he landed on their desserts and drinks. Will knew he would have to order something, just so he wasn’t rude. He settled on a drink, knowing the sugar in a dessert would keep him up for hours. His eyes trickled down the drinks, and he almost told himself he would love a coffee right now. But he knew a coffee would also keep him up, and mentally sighed in disappointment. They had tea, and that sounded nice. He would get a cup of green tea, yeah, that was it. 

“Are you actually gonna say something, or are you just going to stare at that menu for the whole time?” 

Will's head snapped up, making eye contact with an amused Mike. He didn’t know how long he had been looking through the restaurant's offers, or how long Mike had been staring at him. Nonetheless, Will apologized and set down his menu. The waitress must have been waiting for him to do so, due to the second he looked ready to order, she was walking over. Mike must have had a usual, because he hadn’t even grabbed the bill of fare. Will looked up to the waitress who approached them. Her black hair swayed upon her shoulders, moving as she did. She wore red lipstick, matching Will’s sweater, and had green eyes. 

Weirdly enough, she resembled a black cat. Her nose was small, and perked up at the end. She was too pretty to be a waitress, or maybe she was so pretty that being a waitress was perfect for her. Either way, Will didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes as she smiled at Mike. The two looked like they’d run a high school together, just based off of their appearances. 

“Hi boys, what can I get you?” She addressed them, turning to Will. Surprised by being asked first, he took a second to answer. It seemed like he was just trying to remember his order though, so it was fine. 

“I’d… I’d like a cup of green tea please.” 

“Is that gonna be it?” The young woman raised her eyebrow at Will, expecting him to order some sort of food. He just nodded, confirming his order. 

She didn’t hesitate to instantly turn to Mike, flirty smile flickering on her lips. Will watched as Mike ordered a coffee, not caring the sun had set by now. 

Will also observed how Mike shot the waitress a wink, sending her off into a fit of laughter. It was understandable, how the waitress fell over her own feet for Mike. This must have been a daily occurrence for him, with the girl at the pharmacy, the waitress. Mike probably lived with these types of interactions all the time. And when Will looked at Mike, he wondered, how could anyone blame him? Mike was undeniably attractive, and with the image he put on, he looked like a father’s worst nightmare. But due to that, he looked like a teen girl’s dream. He had always been friendly, kind. And perhaps that had matured into a form of pure charisma, creating the flirt who sat before Will’s eyes. 

Will imagined it would be hard for any girl to say no to Mike, even if they noticed the eye bags formed, or his pale complexion. Traits like those just made the boy more handsome. Traits like those made Will want to crumble even more. 

As the waitress walked away, Will expected Mike to watch her go, to watch the way she sashayed her hips as she moved. The waitress must have thought so too, because when she reached the counter, she turned her head expecting to make eye contact with Mike, catching his stare. 

Both Will and the waitress were given a surprise though, as Mike didn’t watch her leave, or stare. Instead, when she was done taking their orders, Mike simply glanced out the window and tapped his fingers against the table. Will registered in his mind that Mike didn’t actually want anything to do with the girls like the waitress, he just knew that his charm would get what he wanted at a quicker pace. It was smart, sneaky, and left Will in curiosity. If that wasn’t who Mike wanted, who was?

“So,” Mike spoke, catching Will off guard, “You gonna start talking now? Or do we need your tea to arrive?” His question itself sounded snarky, but his tone was more playful than anything. 

Noticing this, it was permission for Will to stifle a chuckle. 

Will took a deep breath, and started to tell Mike everything. He told Mike about how Joyce was getting shit at work for taking so many breaks when they drove to Hawkins. He told Mike how it wasn’t safe for Eleven, and even she knew. He told Mike about how badly Hawkins had affected him and his family, and how it felt like it would always have a hold on them. Unless, they fully cut it off. And finally, Will told Mike about his desire to be someone else, to move on from the past and pursue a life in which he wasn’t in the shadows. 

Not once did Mike interrupt, even when Will said he didn’t tell Mike because he knew his friend would try to stop him. Mike just listened, nodding along, occasionally looking away from Will. While his eyes wandered, Will never doubted that Mike was listening. When their drinks came, Mike would take a few sips of his coffee, look at Will, and repeat. The tea was too hot for a while, so Will took no breaks from his confessions, but he still slipped his gum into a napkin so he’d be ready to drink his tea later on. Will told Mike every single thing, except one. 

Although Will’s crush on Mike had played a part in his departure, and his own personal reasoning, Mike didn’t need to know that. Will wasn’t going to embarrass himself like that. Will blamed his teen crush on Mike on a larger aspect of admiration. Looking up to his own best friend, that’s what started it all. Since then, he had other male crushes of course. A few here and there, never something too serious. Will had kissed a girl once, but when he felt nothing he promised himself he wouldn’t let that happen again. 

After about fifteen minutes, Will had finally disclosed his explanation to Mike who sat silently, studying Will’s face for a moment. 

“I’m sorry,” Mike told him, rubbing his face with his hands. “That sounds like hell… And I acted selfishly earlier.” 

Will shook his head, giving the boy a small smile. “You had every right to, Mike. You didn’t know anything.” 

“Well… I do now, right?” Mike lifted an eyebrow, questioning Will.

Something within Will wanted to give Mike the final piece of the puzzle, the finishing touch. He wanted to tell him about his long going crush, and laugh over how silly it was. Will wanted to, for once, have Mike look at him in a different way, even at the expense of his own privacy. Unfortunately, the something inside of Will just wasn’t enough

“Yeah, that’s it. You know everything.” Will’s nails dug into his palm, hoping Mike didn’t notice. For a moment, Mike didn’t seem too convinced, but the expression wavered. Will finally began drinking his tea, it was cooling down. It was sweet, the waitress had added sugar without asking. It was a kind gesture but the taste differed from how Will usually took his tea. Setting down his cup of tea, Will realized Mike’s stare weighed heavily on him.

“Can I try it?” Mike piped up. It surprised Will slightly, but he nodded. Will remained silent as Mike wrapped his fingers around the mug, bringing up the drink to his lips. Will couldn’t help but stay still as he watched Mike’s Adam's apple move as he drank. As he finished, Mike licked his lips, savoring the sweet taste. How could someone be so captivating in everything they did? 

“It’s sweet, I didn’t see you add sugar?” 

Will’s breath hitched, snapping him out of whatever trance he had been stuck in. “I didn’t, I think the waitress did.” 

“Without you asking?” Mike sneered, turning his head to look back at the diner’s counter, then pushing the mug back over to Will’s side of the table. 

“Guess so,” Will replied, deadpanned. A new bubble of curiosity arose in him. “How’s everyone?” 

Mike’s lips dipped into a frown, letting a sigh out. “You have to be more specific.” The reply worried Will, as he pressed further. 

“You know… Lucas, Dustin? Max?” Will started to wonder if Mike had a thing for suspenseful pauses, or if he just struggled to find the right words sometimes. It looked like Mike needed a few seconds to process the names that fell from Will’s mouth, lips pursing in thought. 

“They’re good.” He answered shortly. 

“That’s it? They’re just… good?” 

Mike rolled his eyes, but something told Will he wasn’t trying to sass anyone. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Will,” He went to seemingly run his fingers through his hair, stopping when he felt his beanie instead. “I barely even talk to those guys anymore.” 

Will’s stomach twisted, “You don’t talk to them?”

Mike leaned back into the booth, pointing his finger at Will, “Correction, they don’t talk to me.” 

“Why?” Will pushed the finger out of his face, this earning a light chuckle from Mike. 

“We all changed, grew up. I just changed too much, or some bullshit like that.” He shrugged.

It was obviously true, time had done its business. Will was just surprised that Mike apparently changed so much that his own best friends had thought it was time to let him go. Like… like how Will had let him go. While he didn’t know how long it had been since the party stopped being as close as before with Mike, he knew that there was a time where Mike didn’t have any of his old friends. This heightened the understanding Will had for Mike’s newly found persona, and it hurt his heart. 

“Did anyone actually tell you that? That you changed too much?” 

Mike shook his head, such giving Will the ability to let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “I could still tell though, how they spoke to me less… or how I had been shutting them out without even realizing. I think it happened for a reason, you know? Helped us all find ourselves in a way.” Mike gestured to Will, making him slightly smile. 

It was yet another truth that Mike spoke. Will had indeed found himself by letting go of his past and growing up. But at what cost? It seemed like his past had fallen to pieces at the cause of his departure. Will changed the subject.

“So… how’s the family?” At the question, a light that Will hadn’t seen in Mike’s eyes yet that night appeared. 

“They’re actually good. Did you hear about Nancy and Jonathan?” Will nodded, smile beaming on his face. “That’s exciting. Like really exciting, I’ll have a heart attack of joy if the wedding’s in New York. That place is so cool.” 

Will noticed Mike’s excitement rooted more from the idea of a wedding’s location than the romance itself, but he made no comment. He didn’t feel like being the reason behind the faltering of Mike’s grin. 

“Funny how our siblings built a life and everything but we never talked,” Will gently joked, he hoped Mike’s exterior wouldn’t shut him out again. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, and the joke probably didn’t help. 

Thankfully, Mike had no suggestion of anger in his tone, just snarkiness. 

“Our siblings built a life and you’re the one who never talked. Get it right, Byers.” Mike’s goofy grin lightened the atmosphere, and Will wondered where all the awkwardness went. “Holly reminds me of Nancy far too much.” 

Will’s thoughts flooded of Holly Wheeler, and the character she was. She was still young when Will had left, perhaps she was about, what, eight now? She had always been very independent and spoke her mind too. As much as she could for a little kid. “How so?”

Mike’s laugh filled Will’s ears, “God, I have never in my life met a third grader who had so many opinions. It’s like everything I do is wrong! How can I be pouring juice wrong? Tell me, man!” 

Will accompanied Mike in laughter, his being in amusement. “And your parents?” 

“My father’s still the shell of a man he’s always been. You know, the older I get, the more I realize how different I hope my marriage is.” 

“Really?” Will’s head tilted in question. 

“I always just assumed that’s what happened to married people, they just eventually fell into a routine. But over the course of the years, being exposed to other families, I just came to understand that it’s just my parents. It’s just them, they singularly suck.” 

“Oh, Mike, I don’t think-”

Mike leaned over the table, miraculously not bumping into any of the drinks, and pressed the same finger he pointed earlier to Will’s lips. It was a jokingly shush, but it sure did its job. Will silenced out of surprise. 

“I don’t think either, Will. I know. And it’s fine, they aren’t going to get divorced. My mom isn’t the type to do that, I think she’s gotten used to it anyways. It’s kind of a good example for me, in case I ever want to see what isn’t love.” Mike pulled his finger away from Will’s lips.

“I used to use Nancy and Jonathan as an example of what love is.” Will sputtered out, before he could think. Mike’s eyebrows raised, a crooked smile returning.

“Really? I love that, it makes sense.” Mike stated, looking out the window to what Will assumed to be happily. Will longed to ask more questions, to have Mike reveal every aspect of his life from the past three years. But he knew in this moment, Mike would only share what he felt capable of sharing. 

Mike pulled his eyes off the window, looking behind him. Will followed his gaze, landing on a clock. 

“Oh man, it’s already nine.”

“What? You’ve got some sort of bedtime?” Will joked. 

“Quite the opposite, Will. This is when I’m most awake, not all of us have bedtimes.” Mike gave him a wink, and started to slide out of the booth. 

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’ve got plans to meet, people to see.” 

Will squinted in confusion, silently asking for clarification. He couldn’t think of anything Mike could be heading off to at this hour, even if it wasn’t that late. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Mike shrugged and seemed to turn to start leaving. Will was in disbelief, mainly at how he hadn’t even gotten a goodbye. So the boy stood, he grabbed his bag from the pharmacy just in case he would have to follow Mike again in a hurry. 

“Wait!” 

Mike spun back around, a smirk on his face. “Just seeing how easily you’d let me leave.” Will sneered in annoyance. “Just call me.”

Will fidgeted with his fingers, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. “I don’t think… I don’t think I’d be able to remember your house’s number.” 

Luckily, Mike took no offense, he walked over to the diner’s counter and leaned over. Without saying a word, he caught the waitress’ attention immediately, as she left another customer and smiled. Will looked at her nametag, quietly reading out loud, “Cheryl.”

“Hey, mind if I borrow that pen, sweetheart?” Mike’s voice dripped with charm. Perhaps that’s why Cheryl handed it over without a sign of hesitation. Mike made his way to a neighboring table, plucking a napkin from the dispenser. In a matter of a few seconds, he had scribbled something down and folded the napkin. Will could hear him give Cheryl a small thanking, returning her pen. He then also pulled out his wallet, whispering something to the girl, to which she replied the total to their orders. Will began speaking in disagreement, telling Mike he could pay for himself. But his words went unnoticed, or better said ignored, as Mike fished out a few dollar bills to cover their whole order. Cheryl took the money with a beam. She let her gaze linger on Mike as he walked back to Will. Without saying a word, Mike held the paper out, waiting for Will to take it. Will did so. 

“It’s my number, if you really do decide to call me. We could do something like this again, and maybe then we’ll talk more about your family and friends.” 

Will nodded, not sure of what to say.

“Isn’t this comedic? You leaving me, now me leaving you? Only I’m making my exit more dramatic, considering it’s the night and all.” 

Will couldn’t believe he had almost forgotten how goofy and humorous Mike tended to be, rewarding him with a slight chuckle. “Are you ever gonna let that go?” 

“You know I won’t.” 

That was the last thing that was said before Mike shot him a wink, and head for the door. Will gaped until Mike was out of his vision, and making his way into the night. Then he lowered his sight to the folded paper in his hands, unraveling it and letting himself read Mike’s handwriting. It looked familiar, Will felt bad for forgetting it. But he couldn’t remember everything now, could he? 

At the bottom of the paper, there was a messily drawn smiley face, Will ran his finger on it. He was going to call Mike, and they were going to talk again. He was going to fix things, and make some memories. 

“That your boyfriend?” 

The voice made Will’s head snap up. When words registered in his brain, he felt his cheeks get hot. There stood Cheryl, entertained look and all. She must have found Will’s blushing a joke, because she then let out a giggle. 

“Hey, I’m not upset or weirded out about it. I bet anyone would lose themselves in those eyes of his.” 

“No, no. That’s not… I’m not…” Will tried to protest, failing miserably. 

“I don’t mind! It’s all normal.” 

As much as Will enjoyed how accepting this girl was, he didn’t want to permit any misconceptions. 

“No really, me and him are just friends. Childhood friends.” 

Cheryl paused for a second, then a corner of her mouth quirked up. “You better get to work on that then.” 

“Get to work on what?” 

She looked at him, smiling as if she knew something he didn’t, “Changing that.” 

By the time Will had manufactured a refutement, Cheryl had already turned her back to retrieve someone’s order. With a huff, Will folded the napkin back up and put it into the same pocket where his keys resided. He ignored what comments the waitress told him, clutching his bag from the pharmacy tighter, and made his way to the exit. 

As Will walked to the car, he decided that coming to visit Hawkins wasn’t a bad idea at all. And even if he couldn’t reach them through Mike, he had the intentions of seeing what his other old friends were up to. Will wondered if Lucas and Max were still together and if their relationship had reached its full capacity of maturity yet. He had always liked their dynamic, it was clear that both of them had always tried their best, to what Will could remember. And then Will tried to picture Dustin and his girlfriend together, to the best of his ability, considering he had no idea to this day what Suzie looked like. It was impressive how the two had kept a relationship from summer camp, living miles away from each other. Will knew he’d never be able to do that, he thought he’d miss the other person too much. But what did he know? Maybe some attractions were strong enough to battle the distance life placed between them. 

Will also wondered how his old friends had developed in a sense of character, and who they were. If Max was still making comments full of sass, or if Dustin was still the lovable dork as always. Will questioned if Lucas had finally embraced his kinder side, or was still the stubborn logical type. His brain nearly combusted from all the questions he had, all the answers he desired. And as Will looked up until the night sky, he promised himself he’d get all the answers, no matter what. 

On the way to his car, it was brought to attention that walking was, in fact, enjoyable. It was nicer when it was with someone, though. The solitude brought uneasiness, prompting Will to cling to every source of light he could as he traveled down the streets. He didn’t feel this need for a safety reassurance when he had been walking to the diner earlier with Mike. Probably because it hadn’t been so dark, but as well as how Mike always had something about him that calmed Will down. 

Instead of focusing on the way the wind howled in his ear, Will centered on how it felt every time he put his weight down while he walked. How it felt moving from one foot to the other. How it was to be in control. Will then sped up a bit, liking the way it felt to feel the pressure run up his leg. 

Without him realizing it, Will had started jogging. The wind had gone from bothering him to being a refreshing blast upon his face. It was revilating, refreshing, dare he say reviving. He didn’t pay any mind to his own breathless pants as he increased his speed, or the way his bag clashed against his leg with every movement. And Will didn’t stop until he reached the pharmacy. If asked, he wouldn’t be able to explain why he felt the need to run, or why he had enjoyed it so much. He just knew that after everything today, he needed to increase his heartbeat one more time. It reminded him he was alive, so to speak. He leaned against his car, doing his best to catch his breath. Once he felt fully recovered, Will grabbed his keys, fumbling to unlock the car door. After entering and closing himself inside, Will leaned his head back and let out a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling in a routine. He sat there for a little bit, just piecing himself together. 

Will didn’t turn on the radio while driving back to the hotel. He felt tired, unsurprisingly. His brain went on autopilot, as he steered in the direction of what was currently as much as he could call home. Thoughts finally quieted down, becoming soft murmurs as he pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. 

He felt like a robot as he unlocked his room’s door, and went straight to brushing his teeth. Will then did a round of mouthwash, even if the tea had gotten rid of most of the aftertaste in his mouth. He stared at himself in the mirror, noticing his tired eyes. With a sigh of exhaustion, Will left the bathroom and began changing out of his clothes, taking his shirt off to sleep freely. As he started to change into flannel pants, Will heard the sound of paper being smothered. 

He quickly remembered Mike’s napkin and took it out, setting it on the bedside table, next to the lit lamp. He finished putting his clothes on and draped what he had been wearing before onto a chair that was near the television. Will thought about watching something before he went to bed, but the way his eyelids drooped denied the idea. So without doing anything else, Will walked to his bed and climbed in, pulling the duvet over. It wasn’t as cold as he thought it was going to be, he had taken the risk of going shirtless but it turned out to be fine, thankfully. Settling into the bed, Will leaned over to turn off the switch on the lamp, his eyes landing on the napkin. 

It seemed to beg for him to look at it, to do something with it. He simply rolled his eyes and continued to turn the light off. Will turned over to his other side and glanced in the opposite direction, making some sort of statement to the universe that even he didn’t understand. But he couldn’t fall asleep, it was torturous. He was horribly tired, but his mind wouldn’t cooperate and fall asleep. So Will turned back, and even in the dark, he could see the outline of Mike’s napkin. He just looked at it for a few minutes, wondering how such a thin piece of paper with ink that sunk into it could have such a hold on him. Reluctantly, Will sat up, and picked up the napkin, feeling the soft paper on his fingers. He knew it wouldn’t rip with his small grasp, but that didn’t stop him from holding it like a baby. 

Then he placed it back, and fell back into his spot within the bed. 

The napkin was the last thing Will saw before he fell into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was so fun to write, and hope it was fun to read as well! and the next chapter will come soon, i just gotta specifically map out the plot and other chapters.  
leave a comment with your thoughts! thanks for reading and any support is adored!


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